ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is likely to decide the maintainability of a petition seeking disqualification of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan for concealing his alleged daughter Tyrian White, today (Tuesday).
Earlier, in his reply to the Islamabad High Court, Imran Khan had raised objection to the petition, saying he was no longer a public office holder as his resignation from the lower house of the parliament was “irrevocable” as he has no intention of taking up a seat in the present national assembly. Khan further stated that the court has no jurisdiction to examine the authenticity of any affidavit or declaration by a person who had ceased to hold public office.
During the previous hearing, Hamid Ali Shah, counsel for the petitioner, concluded his arguments in response to Imran Khan’s objections. The matter was taken up by a bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.
Justice Farooq inquired about the status of a returned candidate who would not take oath as a member of the house and sought arguments on how a person disqualified to hold a public office can retain the position of party chairman.
He also asked what about a lawmaker’s disqualification in case the National Assembly stood dissolved. The lawyer argued that disqualification would stay intact until Article 62(1)(f) was part of the constitution.
Vawda was disqualified for assembly’s term: IHC
At this, the chief justice cited the case of PTI’s ex-senator Faisal Vawda who was disqualified for the national assembly’s term and not for a lifetime. The counsel, however, replied that the facts of both the cases were not identical.
The court was told that the apex court made it mandatory for the contesting candidates to file an affidavit about their dependents. The apex court had declared that any concealment in the affidavit was tantamount to submitting forged documents. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till today (Tuesday).
