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KARACHI, June 26: A Sindh High Court election tribunal on Thursday dismissed as withdrawn a petition moved by PPP’s Shabbir Qureshi against the election of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Abdus Sattar Ansari from the Sindh Assembly constituency PS-92 (Karachi-West).
Proceedings were almost complete when the respondent’s counsel, Qazi Khalid Ali, submitted before Justice Mohammad Moosa K. Laghari, who constituted the tribunal, that the petition was frivolous as petitioner would still lag far behind his successful rival even if all the rejected and allegedly rigged ballots were transferred to him.
To save time, he was prepared to forgo the cost the tribunal was required to impose on the petitioner under Section 73 (2) of the Representation of People Act to recompense the respondent for the expenditure incurred by him on contesting the petition.
The petitioner’s counsel, Sathi Ishaq, sought the tribunal’s permission to withdraw the petition, which was granted.
RECOUNT ORDERED: Another election tribunal, comprising Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery, ordered recount in a petition moved by PPP Parliamentarian’s Iftikhar Hussain against the election of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Qari Gul Rahman from the National Assembly constituency NA-239 (Karachi-1).
Disposing of an application moved by the petitioner, the tribunal noted that there were allegations of rigging in counting of votes and discrepancies in the various result sheets compiled by the election staff.
He directed the provincial joint election commissioner to scrutinize ballot papers and recount them in the presence of the petitioner, the respondent, any other interested candidate and the registrar of the tribunal at the provincial election office at Karachi within 10 days.
Disputed votes would be excluded from the recount and produced before the tribunal. The report of the recount would be submitted to the tribunal by July 29, the next date of hearing.
Advocate Khwaja Naveed Ahmed appeared for the petitioner and Advocate Khwaja Sharaful Islam for the respondent MNA.
ADJOURNED: Another petition challenging the election of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Kamal Mustafa from PS-117 (Karachi- East) was adjourned after framing of issues.
Petitioner Ghulam Abbas Punjwani says that the Malaysian degree produced by the MPA at the time of filing his nomination papers was not recognized in Pakistan and thus being a non-graduate, he was not eligible to join the electoral contest.
According to the petitioner, the MPA also filed nominations for PS-115 and PS-119 but the returning officers of both the constituencies rejected his papers.
He moved a writ petition against the rejection of his papers in the two constituencies but a division bench of the high court dismissed it.
According to the respondent MPA, he had done graduation from KLC College in Kuala Lumpur, which is affiliated to the University of Wales, Great Britain, and is duly recognized by the Malaysian government for all purposes.
The University of Karachi had granted him an equivalence certificate well in time, on the basis of which he was allowed to contest the PS-117 poll. An equivalence certificate was also belatedly obtained from the University Grants Commission.
BAIL PLEA: The lawyers appearing for former federal secretary Javed Burki and co-accused Muzammil Niazi concluded their arguments on their bail applications on Thursday.
Justice Shabbir Ahmed is hearing the bail pleas following a difference of opinion between Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Rehmat Hussain Jaferi as members of a division bench that initially heard the matter.
Justice Osmany granted bail to the two accused in the sum of Rs 10 million each while Justice Jaferi refused the concession with a direction to the trial accountability court to conclude the proceedings within three months.
The accused are alleged to have caused a loss of Rs 1.76 billion to the public exchequer in a truck manufacturing deal with the Pakistan Army. Burki, as chairman of the Pakistan Automobile Corporation, and Niazi, as managing director of its subsidiary, Trailer Development Company, are alleged to have transferred the manufacturing contract with the army to a private company (Trans-Mobile Company) floated by them for the purpose.
