ECP withdraws notification of Ishaq Dar's election as senator

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday withdrew a notification of former finance minister Ishaq Dar's election as a senator.

The notification was withdrawn in the light of Supreme Court orders. In May 2018, the apex court had suspended Dar’s senatorship on a temporary basis.

A petition, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party's Nawazish Pirzada, had requested the apex court to suspend the Lahore High Court judgment allowing Dar to contest the March 3 Senate elections.

On February 17, an appellate election tribunal of the LHC had granted Dar permission to contest Senate elections, setting aside an order of the returning officer who had rejected his nomination papers.

Dar was successfully elected to the Senate from Punjab but had yet to be administered oath.

The former finance minister has been out of the country since October 2017 on account of his medical treatment.

He has since been declared a proclaimed offender in a corruption case filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau.

Earlier this week, Dar was seen avoiding a barrage of questions aimed at him by newsmen in London.

Journalists surrounded the former finance minister as he left the Harley Street Clinic in London, after having visited Begum Kulsoom Nawaz who has been under treatment for cancer.

One of the newsmen asked Dar that he was ailing, yet continued roaming outside. To which, he replied that he was ill and he knew it.

As soon as the former minister sat inside his car, the newsmen also drew their microphones inside. Dar, who was angry yet smiling, made every effort to drive the microphones away.

"When will you return to Pakistan?" another reporter asked Dar amid his efforts to duck the questions.

He replied: "I will return whenever my health improved."