Too late: PTI fails to stop mayor from taking oath

SHC bench discharges case filed by Faisal Vawda

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could not obtain a restraining order to bar its arch-rival, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Wasim Akhtar, from taking oath as hearing on its petition could not be held in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday.

On Monday, PTI leader Faisal Vawda had approached the high court, pleading to restrain Akhtar from taking the mayor's oath due to his alleged involvement in cases of terrorism. In his petition, Vawda had claimed that Akhtar was incapable by conduct of being and acting as the city mayor because there were many cases against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The court was pleaded to restrain the respondent MQM leader from taking oath as Karachi mayor until criminal cases against him were decided.

The matter was fixed before a division bench headed by Justice Munib Akhtar. The bench, however, discharged the case without any hearing.

Plea in Supreme Court

Separately, a petition was also filed in the Supreme Court's Karachi registry on Monday, wherein the petitioner, Mohammad Shahid Ghouri, had also pleaded to the apex court to bar the MQM's mayoral-nominee from taking oath of the office of Karachi's mayor due to his involvement in cases registered under the anti-terrorism law. However, the plea was not fixed for hearing on Tuesday. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2016.