RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: A divisional bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit reply by July 20 in a petition seeking disqualification of Syed Murad Ali Shah, ex-chief minister Sindh for possessing dual nationality and Iqama.

The divisional bench headed by Justice Khadim Hussain Sheikh resumed the hearing on a constitutional petition, filed by Roshan Baroro, a resident of District Dadu, who accused Syed Murad Ali Shah of being dual national as well as Iqama holder.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, counsel of Murad Ali Shah pleaded that Returning Officer (RO) and Election Tribunal have rejected the objections raised in the petition against his client and contended that the petition should be dismisses for having no justified grounds against Murad Ali Shah.

Counsel of petitioner submitted in the court that constitutional petition didn’t challenge the decision of Returning Officer and Election Tribunal, which declared Syed Murad Ali Shah eligible for contesting the election.

“We moved the court simply in the larger interest of public by pointing out that Syed Murad Ali Shah concealed his dual nationality and Iqama in the nomination papers for the election”, counsel argued.

Makhdoom Ali Khan argued that hearing on the petition should be put off till next month. Court however, turned down the plea of Murad Ali Shah’s counsel and stated that let the reply from ECP and others should come, we would hear your arguments in August.

ECP sought the time to submit the reply, which bench granted by directing the commission to furnish it by July 20 when the bench would resume the hearing on the petition.

Meanwhile, SHC dismissed the petition against delimitations of constituencies in Sukhar district of the province. Similar petitions have been filed by former provincial assembly member Jam Akramullah and others.

They challenged the delimitation of national and provincial assembly’s constituencies, which included National Assembly constituencies NA-206 & 207 and PS-19, 20, 21, 22 and 25 of Sindh Assembly in the district.