Development commissions: Instructions to be sought on petition to dissolve assemblies

PAT vice president said MPAs and parliament members who had received the commissions should be disqualified.

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court on Friday directed the deputy attorney general of Pakistan and the Punjab assistant advocate general to assist the court after seeking instructions from federal and provincial ministries on a petition seeking dissolution of assemblies over a former law minister’s statement that parliamentarians had received commissions from development funds.

Pakistani Awami Tehreek Punjab vice president Abdul Qayyum Khan submitted the petition, saying former law minister Rana Sanaullah told newsmen on August 3 that the members of the parliament and the provincial assembly obtained 16 per cent commission from development funds granted by the governments through the Ministry of Finance and the Finance Department.

He said that commissions were dishonest and a breach of trust.

He said members of parliament and provincial assembly who had violated Article 62 (f) and fell within the ambit of Article 63 of the Constitution should be disqualified. He said provincial assembly members should also give up their seats.

He asked the court to direct the respondents not to illegally grant development funds to members of parliament and Punjab assembly and to produce their records before the court.

He further said MPAs and parliament members who had received the commissions should be disqualified.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan and the provincial election commission should be directed to issue notifications that all members of the parliament and the provincial assembly Punjab had ceased to hold their seats after being disqualified.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2014.