Anothelieof PTI leader Faisal Vawda came to light on Wednesday during the hearing of his appeal against his life-long disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan in the Supreme Court. At the outset of the hearing, Vawda lawyer told the Supreme Court that the returning officer had become satisfied after seeing his expired American passport. Hearing this, Justice Ayesha Malik remarked that the passport on which Vawda had been relying was expired and it was shown to the returning officer in 2018 while the passport was originally expired in 2015. She went on to say that the passport office cancels the expired passport if one gets new passport. How an expired passport can be a proof of relinquishing the foreign nationality, she wondered. Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the matter had become quite serious. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that anther ie of Vawda had come to the light.

The lawyer argued that the content of the affidavit was same that Vawda did not possess passport of another country. But Justice Shah corrected the lawyer saying that affidavit declared that Vawda did not possess nationality of another country. Justice Malik remarked that the number of passport which was on record was different from the number of passport which had been expired. She observed that different numbers of passports suggested that a new passport was issued after the old one was expired. After this, Vawda awyer Waseem Sajjad sought more time from the court for preparation on which Justice Shah remarked that even after getting more time, he would not be able to find answer to his questions. However, the court adjourned the case hearing till next week.

On Feb 9, 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified PTI leader Faisal Vawda as a lawmaker over concealment of his dual nationality at the time of contesting the National Assembly election on a Karachi seat in the 2018 general elections. The ECP also directed Vawda to return within two months the salary and other benefits he had received as a minister and parliamentarian. It also withdrew the notification declaring Vawda victory on a Senate seat in polls held last year. Vawda, on Feb 19, 2022, approached the Supreme Court challenging the ECP decision of disqualifying him for life from becoming a lawmaker. He moved his petition through counsel Waseem Sajjad pleading that the ECP had given no grounds or reasons for invoking Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution to disqualify him for life.

It is pertinent to mention here that in his petition, Vawda stated that he submitted his nomination papers to the ECP on June 11, 2018 in which he did not reveal his dual nationality. The petition further stated that his nomination papers were accepted on June 18, 2018 while he submitted his application for the renunciation of his American nationality on June 22, 2018. However, the American Embassy gave him the American nationality renunciation certificate on June 25, 2018 which he got after the submission of his nomination papers to the ECP.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP