IHC serves notices to respondents in Mulaika Bukhari eligibility case

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought comments from respondents in intra court appeal (ICA) against eligibility of member national assembly Mulaika Bukhari.

The court, however, sought further arguments from petitioner in pleas against eligibility of two other lawmakers including Tashfeen Safdar and Kanwal Shauzab.

A division bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervaiz conducted hearing on ICA against the single member bench’s decision filed by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)’s lawmakers Tahira Aurangzeb and Shaista Pervaiz in eligibility matters of three women MNAs.

The petitioners’ lawyer Mian Raouf Advocate contended that the single member bench had dismissed the case in March 2020 seeking to disqualify the three MNAs. Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the single member bench should have dismissed this case with fine to the petitioners. Why the political matters were being dragged in court, the bench asked.

The petitioners’ lawyer said that Kanwal Shauzab had no domicile of Punjab at time to submission of her nomination papers to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The bench observed that it seemed that a political dispute had been brought before the court.

The lawyer said that petitioner Begum Tahira Bukhari was also a member nation assembly and it was not a political conflict. He also presented the references pertaining to the disqualification cases of ex-senator Saeed Abbasi and Javed Hashmi.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the petitioner’s lawyer that what the Kanal Shauzab had told at the time of submission of her nomination papers. She was supposed to tell the truth that’s why she submitted affidavit to ECP, the bench remarked.

The court questioned that whether Mrs Mulaika Bukhari was British national to this the lawyer said that the lawmaker was a dual national.

The court adjourned hearing of the case with above instructions.