ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has said it wants to strengthen the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and does not want its verdicts to be set aside by the courts in writ jurisdiction.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and also comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik on Thursday heard an appeal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former senator Faisal Vawda, against the verdicts of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the ECP.
“We want to strengthen and empower the election commission,” said the chief justice. “Don’t want the decision of the election commission be removed in a writ,” the chief justice remarked. “The election commission is a specialist in electoral matters,” Justice Bandial said.
“The IHC also withheld the decision about lifetime disqualification,” Justice Bandial observed.
Waseem Sajjad, representing ex-senator Vawda, said; “If the election commission will become a court with the high court’s decision.” “The high court didn’t decide the jurisdiction of the election commission.” He further said that the ECP failed to determine the facts of the matter correctly, adding; “Not being provided an opportunity to cross-examine the officials of the United States embassy.”
Justice Mansoor remarked that Vawda contacted for relinquishing the US nationality after filing nomination papers. “No objection lodged against Vawda as a member of the Senate,” the counsel said. “The election commission is not a court to declare lifetime disqualification,” he added.
The case was adjourned until October 19.
The bench in April had rejected a plea by Vawda to suspend the ECP’s February 16 verdict regarding his lifetime disqualification. Vawda has challenged his lifelong disqualification by the ECP and the subsequent ruling by the IHC.
An ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, had disqualified PTI’s Vawda for concealing his dual nationality with a direction to return the salary and other benefits he had received as a minister and National Assembly member within two months. He was also de-notified as a senator.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022