Govt approaches SC to restore Ishaq Dar's senate membership

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday has called for the withdrawal of the Supreme Court's order that suspended PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s Senate membership.

An application by the government has been submitted, requesting the SC to allow it to file a petition challenging Dar’s election as a senator on a technocrat seat from Punjab in 2018.

According to sources, the application states that the Supreme Court suspended the directive of the PML-N leader’s election, which deprived the upper house of Parliament a public representative, as he cannot take oath.

The application includes that President Alvi has recently promulgated an ordinance which  fixes a deadline of 60 days for elected representatives to take oath.

An early hearing of the case has also been requested by the government, in a separate application.

It is pertinent to mention that in 2018, Ishaq Dar was elected as a senator on a technocrat seat from Punjab. He failed to take oath owing to to his stay in London.

The SC suspended his membership as he failed to appear in court on May 8, 2018.