ECP To Implement SC’s Order In Reserved Seats Case: Spokesperson

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday decided to implement the Supreme Court’s order in the reserved seats case

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2024) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday decided to implement the Supreme Court’s order in the reserved seats case.

“The Election Commission has decided to implement the decision of the Supreme Court”, the ECP spokesperson said in a statement issued here.

The ECP held a meeting to discuss and implement the SC’s decision, he said and added that instructions were issued to the legal team of the ECP that if there is any obstacle in the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision, then they should immediately identify it so that the Apex Court can be referred for further guidance.

In response to criticism by a political party, the ECP while condemning and rejecting the act said that the demand for resignation was ridiculous and the Commission would continue to work in accordance with the law and the constitution without any pressure, the statement said.

The spokesperson further said that the ECP did not misinterpret any decision and declared intra party election of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) invalid. The PTI challenged the ECP decision at various fora but its decision was upheld.

“Since PTI’s intra-party elections were not valid. In the logical consequence of which, the symbol of the ‘bat’ was withdrawn under Section 215 of the Elections Act.

Therefore, blaming the election commission is very inappropriate,” the statement further said.

The spokesperson said that 39 lawmakers who were declared as PTI MNAs by the court had indicated their affiliation with the party in their nomination papers, adding that it was necessary to submit the party ticket and a declaration to the returning officer (RO) to be a candidate of any party, but the aforementioned candidates had not done so and it was not possible for the ROs to declare them as PTI candidates.

“The 41 candidates who have been declared independent have neither mentioned PTI in their nomination papers nor disclosed the affiliation of the party nor submitted any party ticket. Therefore, the ROs allowed them to participate in the election in an independent capacity,” the statement added.

The ECP said, “After winning the election, these MNAs voluntarily joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) within three days under the law. In the Supreme Court, the SIC appealed against the decision of the Election Commission and the Peshawar High Court (PHC). This appeal of the SIC was rejected”.

It further said that the PTI was not a party to these proceedings at any stage.