Sheikh Rashid likely to be disqualified from contesting elections: Report
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ISLAMABAD - Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed may be disqualified from contesting elections over the petition of concealing assets and wrong doings in nomination papers.
It appeared from the observations and remarks of the top court judges.
The court, however, observed that the mistake either intentional or unintentional would result in disqualification and reserved the verdict.
A three-member bench of the court headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed heard the case filed by PML-N leader from Rawalpindi Shakeel Awan.
The petition by Shakeel Awan, who lost the 2013 general election to Rasheed, claims that the NA-55 lawmaker misdeclared his assets in his nomination papers and owned the error as well.
During the course of proceedings, the counsel for Shakeel Awan appeared before the bench and stated that Sheikh Rasheed concealed his assets and in 2013 elections he showed the worth of a plot in Bahria Town at around Rs 10 million, however, the booking of the plot began from over Rs 4.8 million. He alleged that Sheikh Rasheed also did not show his complete land records of Fateh Jang.
Shakeel 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. He asserted that the most recent court case regarding the wrong filling of nomination papers is the 2017 Panama Papers judgment.
Sheikh Rasheed’s counsel contended that his client did not conceal anything and accepted that his client has owned the mistake in valuing his assets.
During the hearing, Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked that according to the petitioner, whatever the error, the lawmaker should be disqualified.
The question is whether a lawmaker stands disqualified if it is proved that he or she committed an error while filling the nomination papers or his assets, observed Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, who headed the bench.
Justice Isa remarked that if this is the case, the Panama case was about the London flats but the prime minister was disqualified over an Iqama. He also asked where in the Panama judgment it was declared that whatever the mistake, the punishment should be disqualification.
Justice Isa observed that it has become difficult to contest elections in Pakistan and to fill out the nomination papers.
