ISLAMABAD

Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday adjourned the hearing in a petition seeking disqualification of Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Hoti after he sought some time to submit his reply.
A single-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui heard the petition and deferred the hearing after Hoti’s counsel Nayab Gardaizi Advocate requested the court to give some time to submit his reply in the petition.
Conceding his request, the court deferred the hearing in the case till the first week of June for further proceedings.
In this connection, the court had issued notices to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Secretary Senate and other respondents to submit their reply in this connection.
Shamim Akhtar Kiyani, wife of Senator Azam Khan Hoti, had moved the court through her counsel Hashmat Habib and made ECP, Senate of Pakistan through its Secretary, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Hoti as respondents.
She contended in her petition that Azam Hoti was awarded sentence of 14 years rigorous imprisonment in the case of corrupt practice in the Motorway reference for awarding contract for installation of emergency telephone system without fulfilling the normal procedure.
The petitioner added that Hoti was convicted by Accountability Court Attock for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment with fine amounting to Rs 15 million and confiscation of his some properties in Lahore.
She maintained that Azam Hoti was also disqualified from holding public office or applying for any financial loan and advances from any financial institution sponsored by the government. “Even then the NAB failed to arrest the absconder who was not only elected as senator on general seat of Senate but also took oath on 12-3-12,” she added.
Shamim Akhtar said that she moved an application before ECP for declaration of her husband as disqualified but the same was not entertained on mere technicalities. She said that Azam Hoti was not only playing with national exchequer being outlaw, but he has also made the petitioner’s life miserable by abuse of law and extending threats of dire consequences and also managing false cases against her.
The petitioner prayed before the court that it may direct to respondents 1 and 2 to disqualify Hoti from being the member of Senate of Pakistan and recover all the benefits derived by him. She prayed that respondent No 3 may be directed to arrest Hoti and send him to prison to undergo remaining sentence.
She further prayed that blue passports of the respondent No 4 and his family may be cancelled and his name may be placed on exit control list (ECL) in accordance with law.