Sheikh Rashid Ahmed disqualification petition decision announced
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[image: SC rejects petition seeking Sheikh Rasheed’s disqualification]
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday dismissed the petition seeking disqualification of Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rasheed.
Sheikh Rasheed can contest in general elections 2018, ruled the top court.
Sheikh Rashid’s qualification as a member of the National Assembly was challenged by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shakil Awan.
Awan claimed in his plea that NA-55 lawmaker mis-declared his assets in his nomination papers and owned the error as well.
Awan’s counsel argued before the three-member bench that according to the Representation of People’s Act, it is necessary to accurately declare all of one’s assets before contesting elections.
Sheikh Rasheed’s lawyer, however, admitted that his client erroneously mis-declared the assets in question.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a member of the bench, observed that it has been settled in the landmark verdict in a case famously called Panamagate that an advertent or inadvertent mistake could lead to disqualification.
He said the Panamagate case actually involved the issue of ownership of the Sharif family’s London flats, but former premier Nawaz Sharif was disqualified over Iqama (UAE work permit).
