KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter has filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur.

In the application, filed under Article 62 of the Constitution of Pakistan here on Monday with the provincial election commissioner by PTI parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, and MPAs Arslan Taj and Rabia Azfar, it was maintained that Ms Talpur was no more Sadiq and Ameen as she had not declared her full assets and had not disclosed her properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot districts to the ECP; she should be disqualified under Article 62.

She was also involved in fake bank accounts case, money laundering and corruption cases, it was alleged. She was no more qualified to become a member of the Sindh Assembly, they said.

Talking to reporters outside the office of the provincial election commissioner, Haleem Adil Sheikh said that after disclosures about the hidden properties of Faryal Talpur, they had filed the application.

PTI MPA Taj said Faryal Talpur made and hid assets beyond her declared sources of income. An application was also filed with the PA speaker for her disqualification, he said, adding that it was a tale of corruption of the PPP during the past 11 years. If the speaker showed bias, the ECP might disqualify Ms Talpur in 30 days.

NA-205 by-polls

The by-elections in the NA-205 constituency, which had fallen vacant after the death of federal minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar, if held according to schedule on July 18 without required changes as per the census department in the constituency, would disenfranchise hundreds of voters.

They would be deprived of their right to franchise in the light of the verdict of Sept 18 by which the census bloc of Moza Borar, Jhangan, Garhi Chaker, Belo Bozdar, Baloch Khan and Peri were declared as rural areas. Those areas were ordered to be taken out of the jurisdiction of the Municipal Committee Mirpur Mathelo.

These apprehensions were expressed by sources close to a former election commissioner of district Ghotki, who has now been transferred to Karachi.

They said that when the election commissioner was posted in Ghotki, he had received an application pointing out that rural population was shown in the census of Mirpur Mathelo Municipal Committee despite the fact that by a judicial decision of Sept 18, 2015 those localities were taken out from the NA-205 constituency and made part of another constituency of Ghotki.

The sources said that if the elections of NA-205 were held as per constituency of general elections 2018, the election could be challenged as illegal. However, the electioneering process continues as per election schedule for July 18 polls.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2019