ISLAMABAD   -  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday directed to club all the petitions related to the eligibility of public office holders including the case of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry.  

A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah issued the directions while hearing the petition challenging the eligibility of Fawad Chaudhry alleging him for not declaring his assets. 

The IHC chief justice also directed to gather all the pending petitions seeking disqualification of public office holders and club them. He added that in this regard, a joint verdict would be announced on March 9 after hearing all the parties.  He remarked that the court would issue a verdict in all the petitions and it would decide this matter once and for all, the IHC said on Monday. 

Justice Athar said that the court abstains from interfering in cases of political nature because dragging the court into political matters causes harm to it.  The bench further observed that declaring a public office holder ineligible also causes harm to the people of that constituency. 

He added that even if people elect the wrong representatives, matters relating to the eligibility and ineligibility should be decided outside the court. 

Fawad Chaudhry said that it is a classic case of blackmailing and the court should save us from it. He also asked the court to dismiss the petition and impose a fine on the petitioner. 

Petitioner’s lawyer adopted before the court that the minister had concealed his assets while submitting his nomination papers to the ECP and he should be disqualified under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. 

He added that Fawad did not declare the land he owns in Jhelum and, therefore, he is not Sadiq and Ameen.  

The petitioner, an anchor for a private TV channel, claimed in his petition that the minister concealed his assets when declaring them to the Election Commission of Pakistan and hence, should be disqualified under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.