KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar informed the Sindh High Court on Thursday that a petition challenging his candidature was not maintainable.

The MQM-P leader in his reply submitted that the petitioner had no locus standi to file such a petition as he was neither a candidate nor a voter of the constituencies concerned.

He contended that the petitioner was trying to mislead the court by providing wrong information and asked the court to reject the petition as not being maintainable.

‘He is an absconder in two cases registered in 1987 and 2015’

A senior police officer also filed comments and said Dr Sattar was an absconder in two cases registered at the New Town and Soldier Bazaar police stations in 1987 and 2015, but he obtained bail on June 21.

The officer further submitted that his arrest was not wanted in any other case in East district, adding that they had no record of cases against the MQM-P leader revived after the NRO was struck down by the apex court.

After taking the comments on record, the two-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Khadim Hussain M. Shaikh adjourned the hearing till Aug 6 for arguments.

Iqbal Kazmi, a civil rights campaigner, had filed a petition against Dr Sattar challenging his candidature, who is contesting elections from the NA-245 and NA-247 constituencies.

The petitioner contended that the MQM-P leader had not mentioned details of all cases pending against him and he was still an absconder in the cases closed and then revived under the NRO and alleged that there was also misdeclaration in his nomination papers.

Notices issued on MQM candidate’s plea

The same bench on Thursday issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau and the Election Commission of Pakistan on a petition of a detained candidate of the MQM-P.

The former chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, Javed Hanif, who is contesting election from PS-95 on an MQM-P ticket, through senior counsel Rasheed A. Razvi moved the SHC and submitted that the petitioner was picked up by NAB a day after he was awarded a ticket to contest election, which amounted to pre-poll rigging and influencing elections, and pleaded for his release.

The bench issued notices to the ECP and NAB till July 17.

NAB had arrested the former KPT chief on July 3 for allegedly making illegal appointments in the KPT with the connivance of a former federal minister belonging to the MQM.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2018