K & P

Ready for a duel: ANP files petition challenging Asad Qaiser’s dual posts

Parliamentary leader Babak claims Qaiser cannot serve as K-P Assembly speaker.

Our Correspondent November 08, 2013

B“It has never happened in this province that a member of the provincial assembly who is elected as speaker retains his post in the party he belongs to. Asad Qaiser is holding two posts at one time,” says Babak. PHOTO: NNI

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Sardar Hussain Babak has filed a writ petition at Peshawar High Court (PHC) challenging the dual posts of Asad Qaiser as speaker of the K-P Assembly and provincial president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Talking to the media at the PHC premises after submitting the petition on Friday, Babak said they had raised the question of dual posts during the first session of the provincial assembly, but the situation remained unchanged even after six months. He added the assembly speaker should not belong to any party, but be neutral during his tenure.

“It has never happened in this province that a member of the provincial assembly who is elected as speaker retains his post in the party he belongs to. Asad Qaiser is holding two posts at one time,” he claimed.

Babak maintained Asad Qaiser was no more the custodian of the house due to his dual posts. The ANP parliamentary leader was of the view the speaker should not be for one party, but for all the parties in the coalition government. He hoped the PHC would give them justice according to the Constitution.

Earlier, Babak had claimed other opposition parties including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also supported ANP’s stance on the issue.

He was flanked by other ANP leaders including Shagufta Malik, Jamila Gillani, Yasmin Zia and members of Malgari Wakilan, ANP’s lawyer organisation.

The writ petition was submitted at PHC through senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi and former deputy speaker of the provincial government Khushdil Khan.

When contacted, Khushdil Khan said it is a custom in the province that when an MPA is elected as the speaker he quits his party post. He also cited the Lahore High Court’s verdict regarding the dual offices earlier held by former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th,2013.