‘One more PTI wicket down’: Bilawal Bhutto reacts to Faisal Vawda disqualification

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday congratulated his party after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified PTI Senator Faisal Vawda as a lawmaker over alleged concealment of his dual nationality while contesting the National Assembly (NA) election on a Karachi seat during the 2018 general elections.

A three-member bench of the ECP also directed Vawda to return the salary and other benefits he received as a federal minister and parliamentarian within 60 days. Moreover, it also withdrew the notification declaring Vawda’s victory on a Senate seat in elections held last year.

Reacting to the development, Bilawal took to Twitter and said, “One more #PTI wicket down. Congratulations #teamPPP.”

The short order announced by the ECP earlier today declared that the vote Vawda casted in the Senate polls held on March 10 as a member of the NA was also “invalid” as he submitted a “false affidavit” when submitting nomination papers.

The decision was given after as many as 23 hearings for nearly two years. The disqualification case registered against Senator Vawda on the plea of Qadir Mandokhail, Mian Faisal and Mian Asif Mahmood was first heard on February 3, 2020. The decision on the case was reserved on December 23, 2021.

The petitioners maintained that Vawda did not declare his US citizenship in his nomination papers on a Karachi national assembly seat. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court gave a deadline of two months to the Election Commission to give a decision on the case. It maintained that it could not disqualify Faisal Vawda as he already resigned from his NA seat earlier.

However, the IHC remarked, “There are consequences of submitting a false affidavit according to the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan”, adding that the ECP should decide what to do about Faisal Vawda’s alleged false affidavit.

Vawda gave his resignation from his National Assembly seat in March 2021. The PTI legislator also filed a petition before the Sindh High Court to adjourn the ECP’s decision on his disqualification case.

Read more: ECP disqualifies Faisal Vawda under Article 62-1(f) of the Constitution over alleged concealment of his dual nationality