Sindh High Court Asks Election Commission Of Pakistan To Justify Delaying Bye-polls On PS-52

The Sindh High Court here Thursday gave six days time to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit reply in a petition challenging delay in holding bye-election on PS-52 in Umerkot district

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Feb, 2020 ) :The Sindh High Court here Thursday gave six days time to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit reply in a petition challenging delay in holding bye-election on PS-52 in Umerkot district.

During the hearing, the ECP's lawyer sought time from the court to submit reply after which the hearing was adjourned to February 26.

The seat fell vacant after demise of former MPA of Pakistan Peoples Party Syed Ali Mardan Shah on January 19 who was elected five times from the same constituency.

The petitioner Burhan Kumbhar's counsel advocate Zameer Ghumro apprised the court that the ECP notified vacancy of the seat on January 22.

The lawyer cited article 224(4) of the constitution and said the ECP was under obligation to hold bye-election within 60 days of declaring a seat vacant.

He informed the court that the ECP had issued a notification on February 12 fixing a date which was within 60 days. However, he added, on February 13 another notification was issued scheduling the bye-polls for April 15 that was beyond the constitutional limit, he argued.

He said according to the earlier notification, the Returning Officer of PS-52 issued an election schedule fixing March 17 as the date of the bye-election.

The new notification conveyed that the election schedule would be announced on February 29 with April 15 being the tentative date for the polling, he added. The petitioner prayed the court to declare the February 13 notification unlawful and order the ECP to conduct the bye-election earlier within the 60 days deadline.