KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and others on a petition of Federal Minister Faisal Vawda challenging the jurisdiction of the ECP to hear complaints against him.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar also directed the representative of the ECP from Karachi office to be in attendance on March 16.

It directed the lawyer for the petitioner to submit the copy of an order passed by the Islamabad High Court after it was informed that there was an order of the IHC in the case of the petitioner.

The bench also issued notices to the ECP office in Islamabad, deputy attorney general and three private respondents who filed complaints in the ECP seeking disqualification of the minister.

The petitioner through his lawyer approached the SHC and contended that he was dissatisfied with the Feb 24 order of the ECP for dismissing his application in which he had sought dismissal of all complaints pending against them.

The lawyer argued that three private respondents had filed complaints in the ECP against the petitioner seeking his disqualification on identical grounds that he did not disclose his US nationality in the nomination papers filed during the general elections in 2018.

Petition filed against massive traffic jam on Burnes Road and traffic diversion after closure of streets every evening for the food street

He submitted that the petitioner had recently been elected as senator and was no more an MNA as his resignation was accepted on March 3.

He further maintained that these complaints were not maintainable and the petitioner had filed an application before ECP to dismiss the same, but it was rejected.

The counsel contended that the ECP had no jurisdiction to hear these complaints under the Election Act, 2019 and the Constitution and pleaded before the SHC to issue a restraining order to the ECP and also declare that the ECP had no authority to hear such cases.

Plea against food street on Burnes Road

The same bench on Tuesday directed the traffic police to submit a traffic diversion plan to show how many roads were blocked due to the food street on Burnes Road.

The petition was filed against massive traffic jam in the area after the closure of roads every evening for the food street.

The bench directed the additional deputy commissioner (South) to appear on March 25 since he filed no comments.

A deputy superintendent of traffic police turned up on behalf of DIG traffic and requested for more time to submit comments.

The bench asked the DSP to file traffic diversion plan and details about the roads blocked due to the food street as well as the available options for residents to reach their homes during blockage of roads from 7pm to 2am daily.

General import of coronavirus vaccine

A federal law officer on Tuesday sought time from the SHC to seek instructions from the authorities concerned over the general import of Covid-19 vaccine.

When the bench took up a petition seeking directive for hospitals to provide initial treatment to every patient without demanding Covid-19 test report for hearing, the bench said a federal law officer had already filed report about the vaccination of people aged 60 years or above.

At this juncture, the lawyer for the petitioner argued that according to some media reports, the federal government had no plan for general import of vaccination.

The bench adjourned the hearing till March 30 after the assistant attorney general sought time.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021