KARACHI  - A division bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday issued notices to respondents for April 12 in a petition against the Sindh Assembly’s decision to unseat former chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim.
The bench comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui after preliminary hearing of the petition, filed by Arbab Inayat Ullah son of Arbab Ghulam Rahim ordered issuance of notices to respondents including Speaker Sindh Assembly, Federal and Provincial Election Commissioners and others. 
The petitioner through his counsel Rasheed A Rizvi challenged the decision pertaining to unseating Arbab Rahim from Sindh Assembly seat on his absence from the house for 40 consecutive working days and declaring his seat as vacant.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that declaring the seat of an elected legislator as vacant by the provincial assembly was unconstitutional, as leave applications had been submitted before the secretary provincial assembly on behalf of Arbab Rahim for approval from the house. He contended that the ruling political party victimized the former chief minister due to political reasons. He prayed the court to declare the decision as unlawful and ordered restoration of his seat.