The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday raised an objection on Deputy Attorney General Saqlain Haider representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as its lead lawyer in the foreign funding case.
The ECP in its detailed order questioned the merit of lawyer Saqlain Haider representing the PTI despite being appointed as deputy attorney general.
The order states: “Saqlain Haider, learned counsel for the respondent who is stated to have been appointed as Deputy Attorney General, had no right to appear for political party against the interest of the state.”
It further states that the PTI lawyer should rather protect the state and not the party which are two completely different entities. “The learned counsel should have preferred the state over the interests of a political party after his present appointment as Deputy Attorney General,” it added.
On PTI’s demand to exclude the petitioner and its founding member Akbar S. Babar from the scrutiny process, the order states: “The request for exclusion of the complainant from the scrutiny was not justified because the latter had to provide material evidence to the committee.”
