KARACHI: PTI lawmaker in Sindh Assembly Dr Seema Zia said Jahangir Tareen was rightly disqualified and whoever gets involved in corrupt practices should be punished.



While participating in a debate during PA session, Dr Seema Zia said accountability should be across the board and whoever found guilty of involved in corruption should be punished.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday upheld its December 2017 decision of disqualifying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for lifetime for being dishonest, and failing to declare his London properties in the nomination papers.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Unter Ata Bandyal and Justice Faisal Arab, dismissed the review petition of Jehangir Tareen, challenging his disqualification. “We do not find any ground to review; hence, the instant petition is dismissed,” Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar announced after hearing the Tareen's counsel.

The 80-page judgment in Jehangir Tareen case, authored by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, held that the respondent (Tareen) is “disqualified in terms of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution read with Section 99(1)(f) of ROPA for the non-declaration of his asset i.e. “Hyde House” in his nomination papers, and in making untrue statement before this Court, that he had no beneficial interest in Shiny View Limited off shore company (SVL), therefore, he should cease to hold the office as the member of the National Assembly with immediate effect.”

“We hold that SVL, an off-shore company was established by the respondent which has legal title of the property measuring 12 acres known as “Hyde House” but the actual, true, real and beneficial owner of the said property is the respondent,” says the verdict.

The court ruled that Tareen has sent around “more than Rs 50 crores at the exchange rate prevalent at that time and claims that amount was utilised for purchase and construction of ‘Hyde House’”. The verdict observed that “SVL or Hyde House was never transferred to any trust by the respondent, thus, it is his asset which he has failed to declare in his nomination papers filed on 9.9.2015 according to the mandate of the law to contest the by-elections from NA-154 Lodhran and, therefore, he is not honest in terms of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution read with Section 99(1)(f) of ROPA.”