IHC approves Gillani's intra-court appeal against Senate chairman election for hearing
ISLAMABAD (92 News) - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has approved the intra-court appeal filed by former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani against Senate chairman election for hearing on Wednesday.
The divisional bench of the IHC issued notices to federal government, Senate chairman and secretary over Gillani's intra-court appeal.
It is noteworthy here that Gillani had requested the court to quash the presiding officer's decision to reject seven votes, demanding immediate suspension of the presiding officer's decision regarding the Senate election. The intra-court appeal was filed by Gillani through his lawyer Farooq H Naik, Javed Iqbal Venus, and Barrister Umar Sheikh.
“How will you avoid Article 69,” Justice Aamir Farooq questioned Gillani’s counsel Farooq H Naek.
“I want to argue over Article 10 before Article 69,” Naek said. “The matter not related to the assembly’s proceedings but with the election of the chairman Senate,” the counsel argued. “We didn’t challenge the assembly’s proceedings but the election of the Senate chairman,” Naek further said.
“A presiding officer could not vote in the election but here he opted to vote,” Farooq Naek said. “When rejection of seven votes questioned, the presiding officer said, take the matter to the court,” Gillani’s counsel said. “I was the polling agent of Yousaf Raza Gillani in the Senate chairman election,” Naek told the bench.
The court adjourned further hearing of the case until April 27.
Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had rejected Gillani's plea, challenging Sadiq Sanjrani’s victory as the Senate chairman.
On March 12, the PTI government's candidate for the Senate chairman election, Sanjrani, had defeated Gillani of the Opposition coalition of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), marking a significant victory for the ruling party.
Sanjrani had received 48 votes, while Gillani bagged 42. Eight of the 98 votes in total were rejected, including one that had a stamp on both names.
