Gilani challenges chairman senate election in IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up the petition of PPP's Senator Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on March 24th, seeking courts order to annul the results of chairman senate's election.

According to the cause list issued on Monday, Chief Justice Athar Minallah will hear the case moved by the PPP's stalwart through hid counsel Farook H. Naek and Javed Iqbal Weins Advocate.

As interim relief, the petition prayed the court to stop Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani from performing the official duties while declaring the results of senate chairman elections and rejection of seven votes by the presiding officer as null and void.

The petition had named presiding officer Syed Muzzafar Hussain Shah, the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Senate Secretariat and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani as respondents in the case.

The petition further prayed to declare Yousaf Raza Gilani as chairman senate while accepting the rejected votes. The petition also argued that a perusal of the rejected votes showed that the intention was to vote for Gilani and no one else.

"The decision of the presiding officer in rejecting the votes is a judicial decision made in gross violation of the law and hence amenable to judicial review," it added.

It may be mentioned here that Sadiq Sanjrani achieved victory in chairman senate elections and defeated a joint candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Yousuf Raza Gilani after seven votes of his were rejected by the presiding officer.

Gilani had challenged the decision of presiding officer to IHC.