SC reserves judgment on Rind disqualification petition

A three-member bench of SC presided over by Justice Mian Shakir Ullah Jan took up Rind’s petition for hearing Wednesday.Iftikhar Gilani counsel for Senator Rind told the court that conviction of his client had expired on June 28, 2011 and application had been filed by Abdul Rehman and others later. The applicant was neither candidate nor was aggrieved party in the case, therefore his application be declared non maintainable. No conviction is final unless the decision of last court comes, he added.It may be recalled Muhammad Ali Rind was sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs 0.9 million in two separate criminal cases and he was also declared disqualified for 21 years from contesting election.Later he entered into plea bargain with NAB and paid amount of fine. Therefore, his conviction was quashed. However, he was declared disqualified for 10 years. He tried to contest election despite being declared disqualified, but he could not do so after the Balochistan High Court decision came.He allegedly concealed the papers with regard to his disqualification during the Senate election in March 2009. Former Information Minister Balochistan Mir Akram Baloch and others approached Balochistan High Court against this move by him. Upon it Balochistan High Court declared him disqualified permanently. The court also ordered him to return all the privileges and perks he received during his term as a senator.