A three-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of both sides.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 23rd, 2021) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking disqualification against PTI leader Faisal Vawda.
A ECP three-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of both sides.
Vawda is in trouble as he had been a case of dual citizenship for a long time.
PPP leader Qadir Khan Mandokhel had filed the petition against Faisal Vawda. During the proceeding, Chief Election Commissioner while addressing the petitioner observed that whether he wanted to argue more on the case.
On it, Mandokhel said that it was the 30th hearing and the commission had been giving a warning for the last one and a half years, submitting that the questions already asked to the commission should be addressed first. He said that he did not have additional arguments.
Sikandar Sultan Raja also asked the petitioner whether his all questions were answered or not, observing that it was duty of the commission to have the final word. The CEC said that it was the last time.
The PPP leader said that Faisal Vawda had dual nationalities as he was the US national when he submitted nomination papers. He said that no action was taken against the RO as he rejected his papers instead of disqualifying Vawda.
He said that he asked ECP to approach the US embassy, adding that Vawda has declared property in a foreign country and that the commission should inquire from the US Consulate about his citizenship.
"At the last hearing, you said that the arguments were complete. However, today you are talking about something new. The consulate is not answerable to the Election Commission, and the Commission cannot write to them," the CEC responded.
Faisal Vawda through his counsel opposed the arguments of the petitioner, saying that the petitioners are relying on the certificate of renunciation of citizenship. He said that Vawda was the citizen of Pakistan and he did not give up Pakistani citizenship.
He said that Vawda was and would be Pakistani citizen.
The lawyer said that Vawda was born in the US but he never applied for citizenship of another country. At this, Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja inquired about the date of the cancellation of citizenship and whether the cancellation of a passport also revokes citizenship. On it, the counsel of Vawda said that Nadra had said that Faisal Vawda's US citizenship was seized on May 29, 2018 and he is a Pakistani citizen.
After hearing the arguments of the parties, the ECP reserved its verdict.
