ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday reserved judgment on a petition seeking the disqualification of PML-N Senator Dr Raheela Magsi.
The petition was filed by a former PPP member of the Punjab Assembly Nargis Faiz Malik who, through her counsel Mian Umer Riaz, adopted before the court that Ms Magsi was not eligible to contest the Senate seat reserved for the capital because she was not a registered voter of Islamabad prior to the announcement of the election schedule.
The counsel questioned the transfer of the PML-N candidate’s vote from Tando Allahyar to Islamabad and pointed out that according to Senate rules, candidates represent their provinces in Senate and cannot contest from constituencies other than their own.
During a hearing of Malik’s petition on February 28 of this year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified Magsi from contesting the election for the seat reserved for the federal capital.
On March 4, IHC had allowed Raheela Magsi to contest the elections. Ms Magsi’s counsel had maintained that the PML-N had issued a ticket to his client to contest the Senate polls from Islamabad and that the returning officer and ECP had rejected her nomination papers on frivolous grounds.
The counsel argued that though his client’s nomination was being objected to, the ECP had allowed several other candidates to contest elections from other provinces. He maintained that his client was just being punished and requested the court to set aside the ECP’s decision and to allow his client to contest the Senate elections.
Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016
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