News Desk |
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur – a member of Sindh Assembly and a younger sister of the former president Asif Ali Zardari.
PTI parliamentary leader Haleem Adil Sheikh and Member Sindh Assembly Arsalan Taj have submitted the petition in the ECP office in Karachi.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had told media that PTI was preparing to challenge the PML-N’s move to ‘grant a party post to a convicted person’, adding that the ruling party was exploring different options.
In the petition, the petitioners said that Talpur is allegedly involved in fake accounts case, money laundering and corruption and a reference is pending before an accountability court of Islamabad against her, therefore, she is not eligible for membership in the assembly. The PTI leaders have prayed that election commission should declare her disqualified.
On June 14, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi had declared the residence of Talpur located in Sector F-8 of the capital as sub-jail after taking her into custody. On June 15, the court had handed over Talpur to NAB on a 9-day physical custody remand in the fake bank accounts case.
Read more: Court extends interim bail of Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur in money…
PTI challenges Maryam’s party position before ECP
On May 27, the ECP had issued a notice to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s vice president Maryam Nawaz on a petition of the PTI challenging her party position. ECP while hearing PTI’s petition had issued a notice to Maryam for June 17.
PTI parliamentary leader Haleem Adil Sheikh and Member Sindh Assembly Arsalan Taj have submitted the petition in the ECP office in Karachi.
PTI members Farrukh Habib, Javeria Zafar, Maleeka Bokhari, and Kanwal Shauzab had submitted a petition before ECP against Maryam’s party position in line with PTI leadership’s earlier reservations against her appointment.
In the petition, the applicants have stated that Maryam’s selection as the PML-N vice president was in contradiction with laws and the constitution. The petitioners have maintained that the Maryam was not eligible to hold any political or public office as an accountability court has convicted her in a NAB reference.
Read more: NAB detains Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur
On May 6, PTI had decided to challenge the PML-N’s decision to appoint Maryam as one of the party’s 16 vice presidents. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had told media that PTI was preparing to challenge the PML-N’s move to ‘grant a party post to a convicted person’, adding that the ruling party was exploring different options.
“She [Maryam] has been convicted by the country’s courts and is not eligible to hold a party position. She has been granted temporary relief by the court; her conviction has not been reversed,” Qureshi had maintained. Later, the PTI officials had filed a petition before the ECP.
Reshuffle in PML-N
In a major reshuffle of the party on April 29, Maryam had become a vice president of the PML-N. For the first time, the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz were appointed as vice presidents of the party, among several others.
Among other changes, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was appointed senior vice president of the PML-N, ex-interior minister Ahsan Iqbal was made general secretary, ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar was tasked to take over responsibilities as president of the party’s International Affairs Committee while Marriyum Aurangzeb retained the position of secretary information and the party’s spokesperson.