ISLAMABAD, March 8: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday asked government lawyers and officials to appear on Thursday when it will hear a petition seeking permission for jailed politician Javed Hashmi to vote in an election for a Senate seat.

The high court direction came on a request of PML-N leader Ms Maimoona Hashmi who has sought permission in favour of her detained father Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to cast his vote in the March 10 Senate elections.

Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha of the high court after preliminary hearing directed Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan, assistant advocate general Punjab, secretary Interior Ministry and superintendent Jail Kot Lakhpat Lahore to appear before him on Thursday and submit their replies on the petition.

Advocate Zafar Ali Shah stated on behalf of Maimoona Hashmi that the Election Commission of Pakistan had ordered the home secretary Punjab on Friday to produce two detained members of the Parliament namely Mian Mohammad Aslam of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Khawaja Saad Rafique of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz before the National Assembly to cast their vote in the Senate elections for the federal capital. Both of them were arrested in connection with violence during opposition demonstrations to protest against the publication of blasphemous cartoons in some European newspapers.

However, the commission decided that it was not an appropriate forum to decide a similar request for Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, President, Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), undergoing 23 years of rigorous imprisonment for abetting mutiny. An appeal against his conviction is also pending adjudication before the same court.

Zafar Ali Shah contended that production of Javed Hashmi in the parliament House on March 10 was his constitutional right to exercise his right of vote in the Senate election 2006.

Meanwhile in a separate development, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on Wednesday directed the home secretary, Punjab, to produce Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed in the parliament to cast his vote in the Senate election.

Mr Ahmed is reported to have been detained under MPO-16 by the Punjab government.

The order came on an application of B. A. Malik, a PPP contesting candidate for general seat in the Senate from the federal capital.