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Balochistan senate seat polling underway
QUETTA: The polling for a general seat from Balochistan in Senate that fell vacant after Balochistan High Court (BHC) disqualified Mir Muhammad Rind as senator was underway, Geo News reported.On August 25, the Balochistan High Court had disqualified Senator Muhammad Ali Rind to hold public office of Senate as he had concealed the fact in nomination forms that he was convicted in corrupt practices and misappropriation of public property.
A Division Bench of Balochistan High Court comprising Chief Justice Qazi Faez Essa had announced the verdict on a plea filed by Mir Muhammad Akram Baloch, a former information minister of Balochistan.
He had moved the plea in October 2009 in which it was stated that Mir Muhammad Ali Rind could not be elected as Senator as he had been convicted and disqualified for a period of 10 years in two different cases.
Rind was convicted in two criminal cases. The Accountability Court Balochistan Quetta, under Section 10(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 convicted him for three-year rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs 900,000 and in default of payment of fine for further imprisonment of one year while in Reference No. 3/2000 in the Accountability Court Balochistan,Quetta, under section 10(a) of the Ordinance, he was convicted for nine-year rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs 30,000,000 and in default of payment of fine for further imprisonment of three years.
In both cases, Muhammad Ali Rind was disqualified for 21 years from taking part in any national, provincial and local bodies elections and further barred to hold any public office.
He, however, did not contest the appeals and instead entered into plea-bargaining with the prosecution, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
NAB accepted the plea-bargaining request of Rind upon deposit of the said amounts of Rs 900,000 and Rs 30,000,000 and subsequently two applications submitted respectively in Ehtesab Appeal, which were accepted and the sentence awarded to Rind in both cases was reduced to that he had already undergone and the bar to contest elections or to hold public office for 21 years was reduced to 10 years.
On September 19, the apex court had observed that a person stands automatically disqualified once he has been awarded punishment by a court.
Five candidates are running for the said senate seat.
Courtesy www.geo.tv