ISLAMABAD: A day after Ishaq Dar’s return to Pakistan, a petition seeking his disqualification from Senate was withdrawn on Tuesday by the petitioner — on the pretext of filing this case in the superior judiciary.

A four-member ECP bench comprising of Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and former Justice Ikramullah Khan heard the petition seeking Dar’s disqualification.

Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioner against Dar, informed the bench that the case required the interpretation of the law and constitution, for which, he intended to move Islamabad High Court (IHC). He then announced to withdraw the petition. The bench directed the counsel to submit in writing that the petition was being withdrawn, which, the petitioner did, indicating that his petition against Dar stood withdrawn.

In December last year, Siddique moved ECP seeking Dar’s disqualification under Article 62 and 63 on the grounds that Dar was declared a defaulter by the Supreme Court back in the year 2018.

According to the petition, a three-judge SC bench headed by the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar declared Dar as a defaulter in the case related to the appointment of Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi as Managing Director and Chairman Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). The petitioner stated that he moved an application to Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani on November 6 last year for filing a reference in ECP for Dar’s disqualification on the basis that he was a defaulter in terms of the relevant provisions of Article 62 and 63.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022