March 10, 2006	Friday	Safar 9, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 9: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition that sought production of PML-N acting president Javed Hashmi for Friday’s vote by the National Assembly to elect a new senator from Islamabad.

The 342-seat National Assembly is to elect one senator from Islamabad and 12 assembly members from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas will elect four senators to replace as many retiring senators from the two areas.

The petition was field by the jailed politician’s daughter and National Assembly member Maimoona Hashmi and its rejection in a short order by Mr Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha came after arguments for and against the plea. A detailed judgment will be issued later.

Deputy Attorney-General Nasir Saeed Sheikh, who opposed the petition, said Mr Hashmi could not be produced to take part in the voting because he was serving a jail term in a mutiny case.

Mr Sheikh, who was assisted by Punjab Assistant Advocate- General Mudassar Khalid Abbasi, also took objection to the petition because the Election Commission, which was holding the election for the Senate seat, had not been made a party in the case and the National Assembly speaker was also not approached.

The petitioner’s counsel, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, argued that the Election Commission had not been made a party because it too had not made Mr Hashmi a party while rejecting a request for his participation in the voting.