Sindh High Court Rejects Disqualification Plea Against PPP MNA Shazia Marri

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has dismissed a petition seeking the disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Shazia Marri over an alleged fake degree, ruling that the high court does not have the constitutional authority to disqualify a parliamentarian.

The court announced its decision after 13 years, declaring the petition inadmissible and dismissing it.

According to the court’s ruling, a similar objection regarding Shazia Marri’s degree had already been raised before the election tribunal during the 2018 general elections. The Election Commission had rejected the objection concerning her degree in 2022.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that Shazia Marri had allegedly used a 2002 degree belonging to another student with the same name.

The court noted that the same issue had previously been examined by the relevant election forum. An appeal against the election tribunal’s decision had been filed before the Supreme Court but was dismissed in 2023 after the appeal was withdrawn.

Shazia Marri’s counsel argued that the issue concerning her degree had already been examined before the Election Commission on the basis of evidence and that the commission had rejected the petition challenging her degree.

The Sindh High Court observed that, under the Constitution, the authority to determine whether a person is truthful and trustworthy does not rest with the high court. It further held that a constitutional petition alone cannot be used to disqualify a person from Parliament.

In light of Supreme Court precedents, the high court concluded that the petition was not maintainable and dismissed it.