ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a reference with the Election Commission of Pakistan against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for concealing property in the United States.
Khurram Sher Zaman and Firdous Shamim Naqvi moved the ECP on Thursday to take notice of the Manhattan apartment of the politician and disqualify former president as a member of the National Assembly.
While receiving the petition, the provincial election commissioner Muhammad Yousaf Khan Khattak stated that only ECP Islamabad could take any action over it.
Speaking to media after submitting the preference, Zaman said one individual had met his fate while the other’s turn is on December 24- referring to the verdict of two references filed against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Taking action against big fishes over corruption was a priority of the PTI government, he added.
The PTI leader said they had evidence of the money laundering in the matter demanding a probe by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into the apartment.
“Zardari could not stay as a member of the National Assembly under 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of Pakistan,’ Naqvi observed.
Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry had revealed on Wednesday that the former president owns an apartment in Manhattan, United States of America (USA) but did not mention it in his nomination papers before the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Talking to newsmen, Fawad Chaudhry said Asif Zardari does not fulfill the criteria set for being a lawmaker as he has violated a law by hiding his offshore assets.
Reacting to the comments of Chaudry, Pakistan Peoples Party Leader Murtaza Wahab expressed that there was no truth to the allegations leveled by Fawad Chaudhry.
‘This is just a face-saving by the government as it did not find anything against Asif Zardari in the JIT report regarding the Money laundering probe,’ Wahab had expressed.
