False declarations: petitioner asked to approach ECP for Bilawal, Zardari's Disqualification

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered the petitioner to approach Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the disqualification of Chairman and Co-Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari as members of parliament for allegedly making false declarations.
A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar issued the directives in the petition of Iqbal Kazmi Advocate, who moved the court against PPP leaders that they are holding the top offices of Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentarians (PPPP) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) simultaneously and submitted that it is not possible that one person can be head of two different political parties. As both have made misdeclaration in their nomination papers and they should be disqualified being members of parliament, the petitioner pleaded by making Asif Zardar, Bilawal Bhutto, ECP and others respondents. The bench advised the petitioner to move the ECP for disqualification of persons, the petitioner sought as the ECP is the appropriate forum to disqualify any member of parliament, if he made false declarations.
Justice Mazhar remarked that the court kept the petition pending under article 199 of the constitution. "If the ECP didn't take a decision, then the court would look into it," he stated. Meanwhile, the division bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar showed annoyance over Federal Ministry of Petroleum for its failure to comply with the orders of the court to submit its reply in a petition related to price hike in petroleum products.
Justice Mazhar said that it has become problematic to receive the response from Islamabad as the ministry concerned didn't submit the reply already in another petition. "The reply came when arrest warrants were issued for secretary of ministry," he said.
Addressing the federal government's attorney, the bench head said that whether he would like that Secretary Petroleum should be summoned and turned down the plea of attorney to put off the hearing of the case. He said that the court would continue with the hearing of the case even if the reply didn't come.