G-B election commission suspends minister facing terror charges

GILGIT:The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission on Thursday suspended the assembly membership of Ghulam Shahzad Agha, who held the portfolio of education minister, after he failed to appear before the electoral body in a case related to his name being on the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Talking to HUM News English, G-B Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan said despite repeated notices, Shahzad failed to appear before the election commission to defend his case, leading to the suspension of his membership.

“Ghulam Shahzad Agha is no longer a member of the GB Assembly and minister till the decision of the ongoing case,” Shahbaz Khan said.

Ghulam Shahzad Agha of the Pakistan People’s Party was elected as a member of the assembly on a technocrat seat in the 2020 assembly elections. He was given the portfolio of education in July this year when PTI’s Khalid Khursheed was de-seated as the chief minister.

Ghulam Shahzad had filed a petition against Khalid Khurshid in the fake degree case, leading to his disqualification. The former chief minister’s lawyers had challenged Shahzad’s status, arguing that he was included in the Fourth Schedule and all his fundamental rights were suspended, and he was ineligible to file the petition.

Chief election commissioner blames G-B govt for LG polls delay

On which, a three-member bench of the G-B chief court on July 4 ordered the G-B Assembly speaker to initiate disqualification proceedings against Ghulam Shahzad and refer the case to the election commission for concealing his inclusion in the Fourth Schedule to become a member of the G-B Assembly.

Consequent upon the court orders, the G-B Assembly Secretariat forwarded the case to the election commission. The chief election commissioner, during the hearing of the case, had ordered Ghulam Shahzad Agha to appear in person. However, despite multiple hearings, Ghulam Shahzad Agha failed to present himself, leading to the suspension of his assembly membership.

Shahzad Agha expressed his ignorance about the development, saying he would decide his future action once he received the election commission’s written verdict.