Naek ready for intra-court review petition against Sanjrani’s election

ISLAMABAD: The disputed election of Senate chairman is likely to echo in the Islamabad High Court, (IHC) this week again as former federal law minister Senator Farooq Hameed Naek has prepared a revision petition for intra-court revision (ICR) against the election of Sadiq Sanjrani as chairman Senate.

The IHC Chief Justice, Justice Athar Minallah, declared the PDM’s candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s plea, challenging Sadiq Sanjrani’s election as chairman Senate, non-maintainable on March 24. The judge remarked that the parliamentary proceedings had constitutional exemptions. Should courts interfere into the parliamentary affairs, he questioned. The courts used to take care of supremacy of the parliament, he added. After nominating PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani for chairman Senate election on behalf of the PDM, the PPP struck a deal with Senate members belonging to government’s ally Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

For switching their side, the PPP, after its nominee becoming the Leader of the Opposition in Senate, wouldn’t pursue legal course further to get the incumbent chairman unseated. Accordingly, Gilani was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition by the Chairman. Farooq Naek told ‘The News’ from Karachi on Sunday that he has consigned the review petition to his client in Islamabad for putting up in the IHC. It would be decided by the PPP to submit the petition in the court or not.

Senator Naek claimed that the presiding officer was biased and he declared seven votes of Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani as invalid. Naek claimed that he has a strong case for revision. “It is up to the candidate and the party to decide about approaching the court for revision or not,” he added.