Challenging Senate results: Peshawar High Court redirects petitioner to SC, ECP

Court tells rejected candidate Hussain Khan Afridi that it cannot adjudicate on the matter.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has redirected a petitioner challenging Senate poll results to the Election Commission of Pakistan or the Supreme Court, saying the matter is beyond its jurisdiction.

The petition, which was dismissed on Wednesday, was filed by Hussain Khan Afridi who was unable to contest the March 2 election after the provincial election commission rejected his nomination papers for his failure to identify his proposer and seconder.

Afridi said that his proposer and seconder had refused to sign his documents because he refused to pay them to do so.

“Pakistan is a country where those lacking money cannot contest elections. Those who do not possess Rs30 million should not even think of contesting polls and those who get elected by spending millions of rupees cash out their investments later on,” PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan remarked.

Later, Afridi told The Express Tribune that he had expected such a decision from the court. “I will not give up and knock on every door for justice,” he said.

Afridi said that the people of Fata were being deprived of the right to be elected to the upper house. “If Parliament can elect senators from other areas of the country, why not from tribal areas? Why are only 12 people [MNAs from Fata] supposed to elect Fata senators?” Afridi said, adding that the MNAs had reached agreed on installing their relatives in the Senate, which is s why he could not identify his proposer and seconder.

“I will approach the Supreme Court of Pakistan. I will not let 12 persons decide the fate of 50 million tribal people,” Afridi said.