Seeking disqualification: ECP to take up reference against Imran today

References were filed against PTI chief, Jahangir Tareen

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will take up references sent by National Assembly speaker to the electoral body against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan and the party’s secretary general Jahangir Tareen today (Wednesday).

In a tit-for-tat response to the opposition’s references against the prime minister, a few Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members had filed references against Imran and Tareen with the office of the speaker. The speaker rejected references against the premier but forwarded those against the two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders to the Election Commission of Pakistan.



During the previous hearing at Election Commission of Pakistan, the commission had asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders to appear before it in the next hearing fixed for November 2.

The commission is also hearing petitions filed against the prime minister and his family members at the same time. After Supreme Court’s hearing on Tuesday, it is likely that Election Commission of Pakistan may declare the case against the prime minister sub judice.

In its previous hearing on October 10, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had challenged the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of Pakistan to hear disqualification petitions against him over concealment of assets, including offshore companies revealed in the Panama Papers.

The PPP, PTI, PAT and AML in their petitions had asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to disqualify the prime minister and his close relatives from parliament accusing them of concealing their family assets abroad.

Former attorney general Salman Aslam Butt, who is also now pleading PM’s case in the apex court, had appeared on behalf of the prime minister in Election Commission of Pakistan. In his written reply, he had argued that the commission was not the appropriate forum to hear such petitions.



Butt also represented Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz, the prime minister’s son-in-law Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who were made co-accused in these petitions.

The respondent said, as per the constitution, any such reference against an elected member of Parliament or a provincial legislature should come through the National Assembly speaker. “In case of accusations against the prime minister, the speaker has already dismissed such references,” Butt said in his reply on behalf of the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.