Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda on Monday submitted his reply to the Supreme Court (SC) in which he raised objections to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) power of disqualifying a person from holding a public office for life, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, will hear the lifelong disqualification case of Vawda tomorrow (Tuesday, March 15, 2022).   

In his statement, in which the PTI leader from Karachi had also given the references of different SC verdicts, he argued that a public office holder or a people’s representative could not be disqualified under Article 62 1-F of the constitution for submitting a ‘fake’ affidavit, and that the ECP was not authorized to impose a lifelong ban under the aforementioned article. 

“The apex court verdicts are clear that the ECP is not a trial court,” he said, and added that section 8-C of the Election Act said that the election commission could not declare a person ineligible for a public office. “Truth of the matter is that it is the Election Tribunal, and not the ECP, which has the power to do so,” Vawda contended. 

PTI leader appealed to the court to also keep in view the reasons before giving its verdict on the submission of a fake affidavit.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had, on February 9, 2022, declared PTI Senator Faisal Vawda disqualified for life for concealing his dual nationality from it at the time of submitting his nomination papers in 2018.

The ECP disqualified him under Article 62-1-F of the Constitution slapping a lifelong ban on him as he could not contest election all his life. 

The ECP in its verdict said that Mr Vawda had submitted a ‘fake’ affidavit to it. “Hence, he made himself suspicious by his conduct,” read the verdict. 

It was further written that his resignation from the National Assembly in order to contest the senate election was also dubious. “Being an MNA, the vote he had cast in the senate elections was also not valid.” 

The ECP also stated that Mr Vawda can file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori