HYDERABAD, March 27: The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued notices to some members of the independent group of the Hyderabad District Council on their application, calling for disqualification of those Awam Dost Panel (ADP) members who had held their own session on Feb 20 for passing a resolution in support of Benazir Bhutto.

The application pertained to the proceedings of the session of the council, held on Feb 20, when the house witnessed a pandemonium after a woman councillor of the Awam Dost Panel, Farheen Mughal, tried to get a resolution passed, calling for the return of Ms Bhutto and other exiled leaders.

The application, written by some members of the district council, was said to have been sent to President Gen Pervez Musharraf which was subsequently forwarded to the EC.

The EC sent the application to a member of the Election Commission, Sindh, Justice Ashraf Leghari of the Sindh High Court, Karachi.

The hearing of the application was fixed for March 29.

It was stated in the application that 29 members of the PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel had raised a din in the house on Feb 20 when the acting Convenor, Q. Hakim, referred the resolution of Farheen Mughal to the members for determining its admissibility.

The house was adjourned sine die for disorder in the house.

The application further stated that some members held their own meeting after adjournment of the session with Aijaz Shah in the chair.

The application referred to the case of Aftab Shah Jamote, the then member of the Hyderabad District Council who was disqualified in 1979 by the government for tabling a motion to express condolence on Z.A. Bhutto’s death.

The applicant sought disqualification of the 29 members of the ADP.