Rauf Siddiqui, Saifullah Abro approach SHC over Senate polls

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday over a plea challenging the election tribunal’s decision to reject Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s leader Rauf Siddiqui’s nomination papers for the upcoming Senate polls.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and comprising Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, was hearing the plea.

Siddiqui maintained in his plea that the returning officer had rejected his nomination papers to contest on the seat of technocrats and the election tribunal upheld this decision. He claimed that it was not about participating in the election but about the future of thousands of students.

The court issued notices to the ECP and other parties, seeking their replies by February 25.

Plea rejected

The same bench rejected a request seeking a stay on a plea challenging the election tribunal’s rejection of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Saifullah Abro nomination papers.

The counsel representing petitioner, Mustafa Memon, maintained that the National Accountability Bureau was conducting an inquiry against Abro. He pleaded that Abro shouldn’t be allowed to contest.

Justice Mazhar remarked that the stay order cannot be issued without hearing arguments by the ECP. The court rejected the request seeking a stay order and issued notice to the ECP.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2021.