Judge suspends Rs1,000 penalty imposed on Waheeda Shah

A summary trial by Returning Officer Asghar Ali Siyal had imposed a penalty of Rs1,000 on Waheeda Shah.

HYDERABAD: The 6^th Additional and Sessions Judge, Shahid Pervez Memon has suspended the Rs1,000 penalty imposed on Waheeda Shah for the PS-53 by-elections by Returning Officer Asghar Ali Siyal under Article 86-3(b) of the Election Laws of Pakistan.

Waheeda Shah Bukhari of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had appeared before the court on Monday and submitted a bail plea through her counsel, Advocate Nisar Durrani. She appealed for the suspension of the punishment given to her through a summary trial conducted by Siyal.

Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, the petitioner’s counsel contended that the election commission had taken notice of the issue on February 27, two days after the incident.

Durrani said that the summary trial had imposed a penalty of Rs1,000 on Waheeda Shah, which had to be paid within a week and she would face one-day imprisonment if she failed to do so.

"Either ways, by paying a penalty or undergoing a day's jail sentence, she would have become a convict and, hence, disqualified to become a member of the Sindh Assembly," Durrani said. He also denied that Waheeda Shah had assaulted the polling staff at Polling Station Number 16 in Tando Muhammad Khan.

"No evidence has surfaced to support this allegation," he added.
Waheeda Shah, who came clad in a burqa, refused to speak to the media.
She had earlier appeared before the district and sessions judge and later after the case was shifted to the 6th ADJ, she had herself submitted the appeal before the judge.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier imposed a two-year ban on Waheeda Shah from taking part in elections and nullified the result of a by-poll that took place for a Sindh provincial assembly seat PS-53.