Khosa, Rasheed, Rafique to file replies

Rana, who resigned amidst credit card theft scandal, wants PA seat restored.

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought replies from senior PML-N leaders Sirdar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa, Senator Pervez Rasheed and MNA Khwaja Saad Rafique on a petition of former MPA Shumaila Rana seeking restoration of her assembly seat.

Rana had resigned from the assembly in July 2009 after she was allegedly caught on tape using a stolen credit card. She was later acquitted of the charge after which she filed a petition for the restoration of her membership, claiming that she was forced to resign under coercion by the party leadership.

Besides PML-N leaders, she had also made Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Rana Iqbal party in the petition.

Advocate Rana Asadullah Khan, brother of PA deputy speaker Rana Mashhood, represented the speaker on Thursday.

He said that Iqbal had no role in the case and had acted in accordance with the law. He said he had made the references to the Election Commission after receiving the petitioner’s resignation.

The counsel said that since the petitioner claimed to have resigned due to party pressure, she should seek replies from her party bosses.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial then issued notices to Khosa, Rasheed and Rafique and directed them to file their replies by June 23.

Azhar Hameed, Rana’s counsel, said that after a theft case was registered against his client, PML-N formed a committee to investigate the matter.

He alleged that the committee forced her to resign and sent armed men to her house to pressure her. Subsequently, she had to resign, he added.

He said that the theft case against her was concocted and baseless. Rana said that the case had put her through mental torture and damaged her image. She was acquitted in the case on March 1, 2010.

She said the speaker had accepted her resignation even though she had not submitted it in person. She said before accepting the resignation, he should have investigated the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2011.