ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought the opinion of the respondents on an intra-court appeal against the eligibility of National Assembly member Malika Bukhari.
The court sought further arguments from the petitioner in the petitions against the eligibility of two other lawmakers, Tashfeen Safdar and Kanwal Shozab. A division bench comprising Justice Mianul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervez held a hearing against the decision of the single bench on ICA. Filed by MNA
Petitioner’s counsel Mian Rauf contended that the single bench had dismissed the case in March 2020 in an attempt to disqualify the three MNAs. Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the single bench should have dismissed the case along with the fines imposed on the petitioners. The bench asked why political issues were being dragged to court.
The petitioner’s counsel said that at the time of submission of nomination papers to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Kanwal Shozab had no residential area in Punjab. The bench observed that the political dispute appeared to have been brought before the court. The lawyer said that the petitioner, Tahira Bukhari, is also a member of the National Assembly. He referred to the disqualification cases of former Senators Saeed Abbasi and Javed Hashmi. Justice Mianul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the petitioner’s counsel what Kanwal Shozab had said while submitting his nomination papers. The bench remarked that he had to tell the truth and therefore submitted an affidavit to the ECP. The court questioned whether Malika Bukhari was a British citizen. The lawyer said the lawmaker is a dual citizen.
.
