PTI challenges ECP ruling on PA reserved seats in IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday filed an appeal in Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict which stayed the notification of new MPAs on Punjab reserved seats after they fell vacant following the de-seating of 25 dissident PTI lawmakers, ARY News reported.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had stayed the notification of new MPAs on five seats of the Punjab Assembly till the by-elections.

The petition, filed by PTI General Secretary Asad Umar, maintained that ECP’s June 2 verdict on PA reserved seats is against the law.

The petitioner maintained that the election body was bound to issue notification for the reserved seats as per the party’s priority list but the ECP stopped the notification till the by-election on 20 seats which is a violation of the law.

The plea also mentioned the names of PTI members on the party’s priority list for the reserved seats. Batool Zain, Saira Raza and Fauzia Abbas are in the priority list.

The plea urged ECP to declare ECP’s verdict issued on June 2 null and void.

The Election Commission of Pakistan on June 2 stayed the notification of new MPAs on five seats of the Punjab Assembly.

A five-member ECP bench – headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) – announced the verdict. The decision was announced in light of the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) directives to dispose of the matter by June 2.

According to the verdict, the allocation of reserved seats — three women and two minorities — would be notified after the conclusion of the by-election for 20 vacant Punjab Assembly seats.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is the third time the PTI has approached the court over the reserved seats matter.

Earlier, the former ruling party in Centre and Punjab had approached Lahore High Court (LHC) against reserved seats.