Petition filed in LHC challenging ECP denotifcation of Nawaz

Petitioner terms notification illegal under Article 95A

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) issued notices to the Federal Government, Election Commission of Pakistan, Speaker National Assembly and ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday in a petition filed challenging ECP notification denotifying the former premier.

The notice was issued by Justice Shahid Karim of the LHC.



In the petition, Ghulam Yaseen Bhatti implored that the July 28, 2017 ECP notification is illegal under Article 95A. He prayed the court will declare notification null and void.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had de-notified Nawaz as member of the National Assembly in line with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in which a five-judge larger bench unanimously disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif due to his failure to disclose his ‘un-withdrawn receivables, constituting assets’ in his nomination papers filed ahead of the 2013 general elections.

The verdict – announced in the packed courtroom 1 of the Supreme Court – came as a major blow to the ruling family as the court also asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file three different references against PM and his three children – Maryam, Hussain and Hassan – as well as Captain (retd) Safdar.

 The SC disqualified the PM by relying on documents collected by the JIT during its probe through Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request. The documents showed that the PM had been an employee of a Dubai-based firm, Capital FZE, and as chairman of its board on a salary.