Accepting the plea of slain Benzair Bhutto's confidant Naheed Khan seeking registration of Pakistan People's Party in her name on Thursday the Supreme Court issued notices to respondents including Election Commission of Pakistan, Secretary General of PPP-Shaheed Bhutto Group Dr Ghulam Hussain and Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) leader Latif Khan Khosa in the matter.
On February 6, 2017, a division bench of Islamabad High Court comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb had turned down the plea of Naheed Khan about registration of the party in her name. Appearing before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on behalf of his client, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani pleaded that Naheed Khan had filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan for allotment of symbol while the respondent including Latif Khosa also filed a 50-day time-barred application on March 22, 2013.
Gillani said that the time-barred application could not be allowed by the Election Commission of Pakistan, saying the same was endorsed by the Islamabad High Court. He pleaded that the request of his client was rejected on the grounds that she had contested the election on the ticket awarded by Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and never resigned thus she cannot seek registration of the party and symbol.
"If this was the justification of the ECP for rejecting his client's application why then Latif Khosa's application was accepted who remained as Senator from 2003 to 2009," Gillani questioned.
Iftikhar Hussain Gillani cited articles 12, 13 and 14 of Political Parties Order, 2002 and contended that the respondent while filing an application before the ECP did not submit anything as required under Article 13 of Political Parties Order, 2002. Article 12 relates to certification by the Political Party Article 13 which relates to information about the sources of party's fund, while Article 14 deals with the eligibility of party to obtain an election symbol.
He said the Islamabad High Court had erred in holding without any evidence that since Naheed Khan at the time making the application was a member of PPPP; therefore, her application to form a party was hit by Article 5 (3) of the Political Parties Order, 2002. He urged the apex court to suspend the order of the Election Commission of Pakistan; however, the court only issued notices to the ECP, Latif Khosa and Dr Ghulam Hussain and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.