Shahadat Awan Challenges Saifullah Abro’s Senate Seat
Pakistan People’s Party’s Shahadat Awan challenged the eligibility of Saifullah Abro who was elected as Senator on a technocrat seat.
A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced the verdict.
The electoral body declared Abro eligible as senator for the technocrat seat and dismissed the reference.
Abro was elected as Senator on the technocrat seat from Sindh on the PTI ticket in the March 2021 Senate elections.
In a Senate meeting on 5 September, last year, Abro and Awan had a heated exchange of words. Both legislators leveled serious allegations against each other.
Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was presiding over the session, suspended the Senate proceedings for a few minutes and summoned the two senators in his chamber urging them to resolve the matter. When the house proceedings resumed, Abro and Awan shook hands and embraced each other.
Senators Saifullah Abro, and Sand Shahadat Awan trade barbs during a meeting
However, the hostility between the two senators reportedly continued in the days that followed, and the PPP legislator filed in the Senate Secretariat the reference against the PTI lawmaker.
The reference was sent to the ECP by Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani.
In the light of the relevant provisions of Article 63, if any question arises regarding a senator’s disqualification, the chairman Senate shall refer the question to the ECP within 30 days, and if he fails to do so within the aforesaid period, it shall be deemed to have been referred to the ECP. The ECP shall decide the question within 90 days from its receipt.
Under this article, if the ECP thinks that the said senator has become disqualified, he shall cease to be a member and the Senate seat shall become vacant.
Article 62(1)(f) of the constitution says that a person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Parliament unless—he is sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and Ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.
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