NEW DELHI: The Islamabad High Court today disqualified
Pakistan's foreign minister
Khawaja Asif
as a member of the parliament because he holds an 'iqama', or a work permit, from the United Arab Emirates, reported Pakistani media.
A petitioner of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, who lost elections to Asif in 2013, had filed the petition against Asif last year, seeking his' disqualification for holding the foreign permit. A three-member special bench of the Islamabad high court stated that Asif was not even qualified to contest polls in 2013.
After the verdict, the PTI petitioner dedicated his victory to the people of Sialkot and PTI Chairman and former cricketer Imran Khan.
"I had decided to throw Khawaja Asif out of the parliament and today I have done this," he said, according to Pakistan's The News International.
Supporters of the PTI started chanting slogans of "Go Nawaz Go" outside the court after the announcement of the verdict, said Dawn newspaper.