ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Faisal Vawda over concealment of his dual nationality in his nomination papers for a National Assembly  Karachi seat in the 2018 general elections under Article 62(1)(f).

A three-member bench of the ECP also directed Vawda to return the salary and other benefits he received as a federal minister and parliamentarian within 60 days. Moreover, it also withdrew the notification declaring Vawda’s victory on a Senate seat in elections held last year.

The short order announced by the ECP declared that the vote Vawda casted in the Senate polls held on March 10 as a member of the National Assembly was also “invalid” as he submitted a “false affidavit” when submitting nomination papers.

The decision was given after as many as 23 hearings for nearly two years. The disqualification case registered against Senator Faisal Vawda on the plea of Qadir Mandokhail, Mian Faisal and Mian Asif Mahmood was first heard on February 3, 2020. The decision on the case was reserved on December 23, 2021.

The petitioners maintained that Senator Vawda did not declare his US citizenship in his nomination papers on a Karachi national assembly seat. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court gave a deadline of two months to the Election Commission to give a decision on the case. It maintained that it could not disqualify Faisal Vawda as he already resigned from his National Assembly seat earlier.

Read more: “Can’t disqualify Faisal Vawda as he already resigned from NA”, declares IHC

However, the IHC remarked, “There are consequences of submitting a false affidavit according to the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan”, adding that the ECP should decide what to do about Faisal Vawda’s alleged false affidavit.

Vawda gave his resignation from his National Assembly seat in March 2021. The PTI legislator also filed a petition before the Sindh High Court to adjourn the ECP’s decision on his disqualification case.