LHC moved to unseat Nisar as MPA

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has been requested to de-notify former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as member of Punjab Assembly for not taking oath of his office to which he was elected in July 2018 general elections, and also to strike down the assembly rules that do not provide any time limit for taking oath.

“The act of not taking oath by an election parliamentarian amounts to depriving people of the constituency of their right to representation,” pleaded Advocate Mian Asif Mahmood in his petition.

The petitioner-lawyer submitted that Mr Khan was elected as MPA from PP-10, Chakri, but he had not taken oath of his office despite the lapse of more than six months. He argued that the act of a parliamentarian of not taking oath of the assembly was tantamount to breaching the sacred trust of people and a violation of Article 2-A, 17 and 25 of the Constitution. He contended that the rule 6 of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in national and provincial assemblies to the extent of not providing time limit for taking oath were also ultra vires of the Constitution. The petitioner requested the court to declare the impugned rules of the assemblies null and void for not carrying a timeframe of taking oath, and de-notify Mr Khan for not taking oath of his office and order a fresh election in the constituency.