IHC accepts petition seeking Zardari’s disqualification

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) accepted on Tuesday the disqualification petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against former president Asif Ali Zardari.

The Chief Justice of the IHC Judge Athar Minallah took up the petition filed by PTI leaders Usman Dar and Khurram Sher Zaman. During the hearing today, the chief justice of the high court asked why the IHC had been approached when there was Election Commission of Pakistan for such petitions.

He said why had they brought a political case and said that there were several other cases pending in the IHC. Judge Minallah said that Parliament should form a special committee to look into this issue, local media reported. However, the court has accepted the disqualification petition against Zardari.

On Monday the PTI had filed disqualification reference against Zardari and said that he should be disqualified from holding public office under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution. The petition argued that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) owned an apartment in New York and also owned bullet proof car, which he concealed in his nomination papers for the 2018 general elections.