Pakistan government to file reference seeking Zardari's disqualification

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government plans to file a reference before the Election Commission against former President Asif Ali Zardari seeking his disqualification over concealment of assets, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Chaudhry claimed that nomination papers of the Pakistan Peoples' Party co-chairperson omitted details of an apartment he owned in the US and added that the PTI had directed its Sindh lawmaker Khurram Sher Zaman to file the reference.

"Zardari owns an apartment in the US. Under Article 62/63, he was bound to declare his assets which he didn't. He is not eligible to remain a member of Parliament anymore," Chaudhry was quoted as saying by Geo News.

He said that Zardari, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Shehbaz Sharif had already contested their last elections. "Their house of cards has tumbled down," he said.

"They didn't let the institutions initiate transparent inquiries. We promised to our voters that we will bring corruption-free political structure."

Chaudhry claimed that Pakistan's image was improving abroad due to several anti-corruption probes and it was resulting in more foreign direct investments.

--IANS

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