Eligibility of mayor: LHC directs petitioner to support plea

Court argued that Mubashir had been in government service and could not contest election till two years

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court directed a petitioner on Wednesday to support his plea which challenged the eligibility of Colonel (retd) Mubashir Javed who was elected unopposed as Lahore mayor. At the outset of the hearing, the petitioner Advocate Mian Shakeel Ahmad argued that Mubashir had been in government service and could not contest election till two years after quitting the job. He added the respondent served as chief warden at the Civil Defence department and was a member of the Evacuee Trust Property Board. Assistant Advocate General Anwaar Hussain opposed the petition, saying the petitioner had not provided the court with any documentary evidence to prove his allegations. The petition failed to establish that the respondent had been getting remuneration from the government against any service, he added. Addressing the petitioner, Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said a public interest petition needed to be prepared carefully.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2016.