ECP rejects disqualification plea against Faryal Talpur

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected on Wednesday a disqualification petition against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Faryal Talpur, who is also the sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari.

The ECP had earlier reserved its verdict on the plea which had sought disqualification of the PPP leader as a member of the Sindh Assembly.

It was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar.

In its verdict, the ECP wrote that the respondent had disclosed her assets and that disqualification requires material and concrete evidence. The petitioners failed to make a case for disqualification, the ECP said.

The petitioner had alleged that Talpur should be disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution as she failed to declare details of her assets before the ECP, which means she is no longer ‘Sadiq and Ameen’.

Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot, the petition stated, adding that she had been nominated in a case pertaining to billions of rupees in corruption through fake bank accounts.

Earlier, the ECP had issued notices to the parties. At the last hearing, the counsel of the sides appeared before the ECP in the hearing against the former president's sister. “Ms Talpur didn’t declare her assets properly and concealed facts,” the petitioner’s counsel had argued.

“It is not a case of non-declaration, all assets of my client have been declared,” Talpur’s counsel had told the ECP panel. “Show your record, which will end the case,” the election commission panel had told Talpur’s lawyer.