By Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday decided to form a larger bench to preside over a plea seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf head Imran Khan’s disqualification for allegedly concealing Tyrian White as his daughter, on February 9.
Muhammad Sajid, the petitioner, in his plea maintained that while the former prime minister has denied allegations that he has a daughter, he avoids from commenting on the issue now, allegedly “because he knows there is evidence against him”.
The application seeks the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) head’s disqualification under Article 62(i)(f) of the constitution with the plea that the concealment of the alleged daughter rendered him unfit for the office. Imran submitted his reply to the application a day earlier on Wednesday.
During the court proceedings on Thursday, as Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Amir Farooq presided over the hearing. The court observed that Imran Khan’s primary contention was that he was no more a public office-holder. The high court noted that the petitioner has challenged Imran’s 2018 oath as member National Assembly. The court also sought clarification from the Election Commission of Pakistan in this regard and requested a copy of the notification mentioning Imran.
The court observed that Imran Khan’s legal team had raised concerns over the formation of the bench. Chief Justice Amir Farooq clarified that he had recused himself from hearing a similar petition in 2018 but ‘not on personal grounds’. Nonetheless, the judge admitted the request of Khan’s lawyer and ordered constitution of a larger bench for February 9 to resume the hearing in the case.
Tyrian White also discussed in 2018
It may be mentioned here that in 2018, a petitioner, Abdul Wahab Baloch had contested that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief should be disqualified under Article 62(i)(f) of the Constitution of Pakistan for giving incorrect information in his nomination papers for the election adding that he is no longer “Sadiq and Ameen”.
Petitioner Abdul Wahab Baloch at the time was a candidate of the Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party in the 2018 general elections. Baloch later joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and filed a miscellaneous petition to withdraw the case in February 2019. Later, the Islamabad High Court declared the petition seeking the disqualification of the then PM Imran Khan inadmissible.
