IHC restrains ECP from issuing notification

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday restrained Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from issuing a notification regarding disqualification of Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq directed the ECP not to issue the said notification till the next hearing of the case.

Senator Mirza Afridi moved the court through his counsel Barrister Muhammad Gohar and cited the ECP as respondent. He prayed to the court to restrain the ECP from issuing his disqualification notification.

After issuing the abovementioned directions, the IHC deferred the hearing till June 4 for further proceedings in this matter.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi for failing to clear his dues. According to the statement issued by the ECP, the senator, elected from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) was disqualified over his failure to pay Rs1.7 million to the social security.

Afridi was elected as an independent senator from FATA, after his election to the Upper House, he had supported Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) during the election of chairman and deputy chairman Senate. Then, he announced to join the PML-N after holding a meeting with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.