ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce its reserved verdict on a petition challenging the appointment of Maryam Nawaz as the vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on August 27.
A three-member bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd) Sardar Raza Khan reserved the verdict in the petition after hearing arguments from both the sides.
Hassan Maan advocate, the PTI leader Malika Bukhari’s counsel, who challenged Maryam’s appointment, in his arguments said the PML-N leader is convicted from the NAB court, how she can hold a party position?
He said suspension from the court, does not mean that conviction is removed. “Maryam can take the party position if the decision on plea comes in her favor, which she had filed in the high court”, he continued.
Maryam’s counsel, Barrister Zaffarullah said there is no law through which appointment of her client could be challenged.
Hearing the arguments from both sides, the ECP reserved its verdict in the petition, which will be pronounced on August 27.
It may be recalled that on May 6, Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) had decided to challenge Maryam Nawaz’s appointment as vice president Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
“Maryam Nawaz is convicted from the court, how she can hold a party position”, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said.
It is necessary to mention here that the Supreme Court gave a verdict about two weeks ago that the suspension of sentence would have no consequence on the conviction of a person for the purpose of being qualified to contest either the local bodies’ elections or the elections for the legislative assemblies.
The eight-page judgment on an appeal authored by Justice Ijazul Ahssen held that unless the conviction is specifically suspended by the appellate court by assigning cogent reasons; or the appeal of the appellant is ultimately allowed and his conviction as well as sentence are set aside by the appellate court, the conviction of the appellant would continue to hold the field and the disqualification incurred by him, by reason of this conviction, shall remain intact.
As things stand, Maryam Nawaz is a convict although her sentence has been suspended for the time being. Her appeal is yet to be decided. – NNI