ECP rejects plea against Ishaq Dar's Senate membership
Pakistan
ECP rejects plea against Ishaq Dar's Senate membership
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday turned down a petition seeking to declare PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s Senate seat vacant over his failure to take oath as a senator within 60 days of the polls.
PTI leader and Senator Shehzad Wasim had moved the top electoral body, asking it to declare the seat held by Mr Dar as vacant.
The court has rejected the petition while announcing its verdicts reserved on Sept 26, 2022 after hearing arguments from both sides.
During the previous hearing, an ECP member observed that the government had issued an ordinance that stipulated that if a member did not take oath to his Senate seat within 60 days, his seat would be deemed empty.
Ishaq Dar’s counsel Salman Aslam Butt argued that the notification regarding winning of Senate seat was issued on March 09, 2018 and it was suspended on March 29, same year.
After dismissal of a petition from Supreme Court, that notification was restored. The lawyer argued that the ordinance did not apply on Ishaq Dar as he could not take oath to his seat when his success notification was already suspended.
Dar’s lawyer contended that under Article 63-P, no one could be disqualified under a law introduced through an ordinance as the ordinance had already been lapsed. Mr Butt contended that the ordinance enacted by the PTI government was unconstitutional.
In Septmber last, Mr Dar took oath as finance minister after he reached back to Pakistan, ending his self-imposed exile.
