Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday filed a petition in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as member National Assembly. The petition that was filed by Dr Yasmeen Rashid of PTI, contended that the prime minister is no more eligible to remain member parliament as well as the prime minister under Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution "as he concealed his assets".
The petitioner said the prime minister had not declared his assets during the general elections 2013, adding the ECP should initiate action against him. Yasmeen Rashid had contested the 2013 general elections against Nawaz Sharif from NA-120, Lahore and had lost the election by a wide margin.
She said the constitution states that a person can qualify for the membership of the parliament only if he/she is of good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islamic Injunctions whereas Article 62.1.e states that the parliamentarian should be sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law. Talking to media after filing the petition, she along with party's central information secretary Naeemul Haq and others, said that the committee formulating the terms of reference (ToRs) for holding probe into Panama leaks is heading nowhere, which has left the party with no option but use other options.
"This was the first step and if the commission failed to take action against Sharif, we will approach the Supreme Court, and rest of the options like street agitation will also be looked into," she added. Naeemul Haq said the decision to file the reference was taken as the 12-member parliamentary committee has failed to make any breakthrough due to stubbornness of the government. "We have provided ample proofs to ECP. The ECP members are yet to be appointed and we expect that Parliamentary Committee will complete the process of their appointment as soon as possible," he added.