ISLAMABAD, April 20: The Supreme Court was moved on Thursday to declare ineligible 17 senators who were recently re-elected for the second term.

Filed under original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court on fundamental rights, the petition has been moved by Maulvi Iqbal Haider, chairman Awami Himayat Tehrik Pakistan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, Chief Election Commissioner and the 17 senators — Waseem Sajjad, Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf, Mohammad Ali Durrani, Gulshan Saeed, S.M. Zafar, Mian Raza Rabbani, Ahmad Ali, Abdul Razak, Dr Safdar Ali, Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Prof Khurshid Ahmad, Prof Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman, Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Mohammad Azam Khan Swati, Mohammad Ismail and Rahmatullah Kakar — have been made respondents.

The petitioner stated that under Article 59 read with articles 44, 9, 17, 25, 50, 63, 219, 221, 222, 223 and 260 of the Constitution, the 17 senators who completed their tenure could not be re-elected.

He requested the court to restrain the re-elected senators from performing their functions relating to legislation.

Re-election of the senators who were retired through a notification issued by the CEC on March 9, 2006, is unconstitutional, illegal and void, he maintained.