Petition seeking PHC’s orders for conducting drug tests of Parliamentarians submitted

PESHAWAR: Advocate Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel filed a written petition seeking drug tests of Parliamentarians in Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday.

The petition sought PHC to direct Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct drug examinations of all the MNAs and members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and disqualify them if they are tested positive for any major drug.

The petition also requests the court to direct the ECP to initiate the drug tests on election candidates of 2018 and detoxify them if they are found guilty of possessing a major drug in their biological system.

The lawyer claims that most of the MPAs are not qualified to be in the assembly as they are involved in many major sins, consume intoxicants like alcohol, opium, heroin, charas, and ice and lose their senses under their influence.

His petition includes many verses and Hadiths of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) which describe that consuming intoxicant is a major sin and those involved in it are not qualified to become members of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.

The respondents in the petition are: ECP through its chief election commissioner; National Assembly through its secretary; KP Assembly through its secretary; ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs through its secretary; all member of KP Assembly; and all the members of National Assembly.

The petition elaborates Article 62 of the constitution. Article 62(d) states, “a person, who is of a good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islamic injunctions, is qualified to become a member of parliament and provincial assembly” He adds that Article 62(e) further clarifies that, “MPAs and MNAs shall have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and also practice obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstain from major sins.”

Source: The Nation