ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday wondered how former finance minister Ishaq Dar was re-elected in the Senate elections when he has been already declared an absconder by the judiciary.
The apex court made this observation as it extended the deadline for the accountability court hearing three references against the Sharif family and the assets case against former finance minister Ishaq Dar. Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan observed that when someone is declared an absconder, he losses all his rights. Therefore, the right to contest elections is also stripped away. An accountability court last year declared the former finance minister a proclaimed offender after he failed to appear before it despite repeated summons.
A warrant was also issued for his arrest after he missed several court appearances on charges that he had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income.
Dar has denied all charges, as has former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who also faces corruption cases after being ousted by the Supreme Court in July.
Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2018.
