Pakistan

PPP lawmaker enjoying privileges under guise of stay order

Election commission had issued a show-cause notice to Nawab Sardar Chandio over his alleged non-declaration of assets

Our Correspondent February 15, 2017

Nawab Sardar Ghaib Khan Chandio. PHOTO: SINDH ASSEMBLY

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Nawab Sardar Ghaib Khan Chandio has been enjoying privileges as a member of the provincial assembly for one year under the guise of a temporary stay obtained against the election commission’s show-cause notice over his alleged non-declaration of assets, the Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed on Wednesday.

This was stated during hearing of a petition filed by Ghaib against the show-cause notice issued to him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding initiation of disqualification proceedings against him.

Headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, the two-judge bench was hearing the matter.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Advocate Mureed Ali Shah, who represented respondent Manzoor Chandio, contended that his client had approached the ECP to seek disqualification of the petitioner under Articles 62 and 63 of the of the Constitution for hiding details of his assets in his nomination papers at the time of general elections held in May 2013.

Ghaib was elected as an MPA on the PPP ticket from the PS-42 Kamber-Shahdadkot-III seat of the provincial assembly.

The lawyer pointed out that the ECP had last year issued a show-cause notice to Ghaib to explain why disqualification proceedings against him should not be initiated but he obtained a temporary stay order from the high court.

Manzoor’s lawyer alleged that ever since, the petitioner was attending assembly proceedings and enjoying privileges for over a year now, as his lawyer was deliberately delaying the matter by seeking frequent adjournments in the high court. The court was pleaded to pass an order and dismiss Ghaib’s petition.

On the other hand, judges were requested for a short adjournment on the grounds that the petitioner’s lawyer, Abid S Zuberi, was busy at the Supreme Court. Allowing the request, the bench fixed the matter on March 13.