ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday binned the petition of former senator Faisal Vawda to halt the election on his seat in the Upper House which was vacated after the de-notification of his election as a Senator.
The court said the right to disqualify for life a public office holder, which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) enjoys, is a matter that should be debated, and the result of the election on his seat on March 9 would be conditional with the court decision.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said besides the ECP jurisdiction, the important thing, in this case, was a false affidavit Vawda submitted ahead of the 2018 general elections.
According to the Supreme Court’s earlier judgement, the consequences of the false affidavit would be stringent, the judge added.
He further said a clarity was needed on the matter of whether or not the ECP had the jurisdiction to disqualify for life a public representative.
“It is paramount to decide to which extent the ECP could exercise judicial powers,” the chief justice added.
