Eligibility case: LHC issues notices to govt, election commission

The judge says it was not appropriate for the election commission to speak on behalf of a candidate for mayor’s office

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the election commission and the provincial government on a petition challenging eligibility of Khawaja Hassaan as a candidate for Lahore mayor’s office. Petitioner Waqas Aslam said through his counsel Sheraz Zaka that Hassaan had been serving as chairman of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore Development Authority and Lahore Transport Company until recently. He said that Hassaan could not contest the election for Lahore mayor’s office until he had completed two years of his retirement. He asked the court to disqualify Hassaan as chairman of the Union Council-107 and bar him from contesting the election for mayor’s office. Justice Atir Mehmood issued notices to the respondents for September 5. The judge rejected the plea that the petitioner should be directed to move the election commission to have Hassaan disqualified. The judge said it was not appropriate for the election commission to speak on behalf of a candidate for mayor’s office.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.