ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan as the government attempts to de-seat him from the Senate.
This comes days after the government decided to get incumbent Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin elected as a senator.
In a letter written to ECP, Dar maintains that rule of taking oath in 40 days does not apply to him as a case is pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The ECP had issued a notification regarding his bid for a Senate seat, which was suspended by the apex court on May 8, 2018.
Dar said his case is still pending in the apex court, and that he was not in a position to take an oath of Senate until the suspension order remains.
Dar also referred to the Presidential Ordinance of September 1, under which a lawmaker who willfully does not take oath within 40 days will cease to hold the office, adding that his membership is suspended until the decision of the apex court.
Ishaq Dar has also sent a copy of the letter to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani. It was earlier learnt that the federal government wants to get Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen elected as a senator on Ishaq Dar’s seat.
The constitution demands that an un-elected person could remain a minister for a maximum of six months period. Therefore, it is essential to get him elected as a member of the parliament to ensure continuity after six months.
The finance minister Shaukat Tarin is expected to be elected on a senate seat from Punjab or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Tarin’s six months of tenure as an un-elected finance minister will conclude in the second week of October.
