IHC fixes Imran’s disqualification plea for hearing on 20th

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday fixed for hearing a petition seeking the disqualification of former prime minister Imran Khan as a lawmaker for “concealing” his alleged daughter in nomination papers.

According to the cause list issued by the Registrar Office, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq would take up the case for hearing on December 20.

The court had already issued pre-admission notices to federation, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Imran Khan in the case, asking their counsels to help the court decide if the petition was maintainable.

The petition moved by citizen Muhammad Sajid stated that Imran had only provided the details of his two sons in his nomination papers and did not disclose his alleged daughter Tyrian White.

He prayed the court to disqualify the former prime minister under article 62(1)(f) of the constitution.

He said Imran had wrongly mentioned two children — “Qasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan” — and had omitted the third.

“The respondent no. 1 [Imran Khan] has deliberately and willfully failed to declare his daughter Tyrian White in the relevant columns of the nomination papers and the affidavit appended therewith, hence he is not sagacious, righteous, honest and a man of good character in terms of Article 62 of the Constitution,” the petition read.

“Article 62 of the Constitution, as interpreted by various judgments of the superior courts, prescribes that a candidate shall only qualify to be elected as a member of the National Assembly if he is of good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islamic Injunctions; and he has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices; obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstaining from major sins.”

The petitioner urged the court to summon the former prime minister and inquire about the reasons for the violation of Article 62 of the Constitution, which says, “a person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless — he is sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law”.

He also prayed the court to question Imran for “submitting a false declaration and affidavit and as to why he should be allowed to be a member of the parliament … and may not be de-seated in all accumulated consequences for the violation of the Constitution and the law.”