PHC warns of staying Senate polls if Baldev Kumar not sworn in
High court has issued orders to KP Assembly to swear him in as an MPA
March 02, 2018
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has warned of issuing a stay order on the Senate polls if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly does not swear in as MPA Baldev Kumar, an accused in the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Sardar Soran Singh.
During a hearing on Friday regarding the oath-taking, the PHC ordered Kumar be sworn in as an MPA. The failure to do so will lead to the issuance of stay order on the Senate election due on Saturday (tomorrow), remarked Justice Ikramullah Khan.
The court also sought a response from the advocate general of KP regarding the oath-taking of Kumar.
On February 27, Kumar was produced in the KP Assembly for taking oath as an MPA on the orders of the high court, but he had to be escorted out to the assembly lobby with the help of security personnel when PTI MPA Arbab Jahandad hurled a shoe at him.
On February 8, PHC had directed the KP Assembly speaker to issue Kumar's production order to administer his oath as an MPA on a minority seat in terms of Article 65 of the Constitution.
Kumar had filed a separate petition with the PHC seeking permission to attend KP Assembly proceedings.
Government and opposition after court orders agreed that another assembly session be summoned tonight so that Kumar can take oath.
Speaker KP assembly, however, said that he has not recieved a copy of the court's order and is not authorised to summon another session. The government should request the governor for the matter, he said.
Kumar, accused in Soran Singh’s murder and presently in jail, is facing a trial by an anti-terrorism court in Peshawar.
He was second in the list of PTI's candidates on a reserved seat for minorities, with Soran being the first, and thus got elevated to the provincial assembly.
Soran was shot dead in a targetted attack in April 2016.
