peshawar   -  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday adjourned the hearing in a petition seeking quashing of disqualification case against former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah conducted hearing of the petition filed by Faryal Talpur and deferred the proceedings till June 8 due to non-availability of her lawyer Farooq H Naek. 

During the hearing, the court was informed that Talpur’s counsel could not appear before the court due to his engagements at the Supreme Court and the bench was requested to defer the proceedings.

Acceding to the plea, the court adjourned the hearing till June 8 in this matter for further proceedings.

Previously, the IHC bench had served notices to the respondents in the petition seeking to quash disqualification case against former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur in the ECP.

The petitioner’s lawyer had contended that the ECP had opened the disqualification case against Talpur on the applications of MPAs Arslan Taj and Rabia Azfar. 

The ECP had already dismissed this case due to non-pursuance by the complainants, he added. The petition prayed to the court to declare the ECP decision dated February 8, as null and void, and stopped its proceedings against his client’s disqualification.

The petitioner said that the political opponents were fabricating baseless cases against her as she was the sister of former president. Talpur said that the two MPAs had moved applications to Sindh Assembly speaker which were dismissed later. She added that the ECP had no authority to hear the case against the speaker’s decision.

However, the court served notices to the respondents and sought their comments in this matter.