Reserved Seats: LHC sets aside LG election schedule

A large number of potential candidates were being deprived of their right to participate in elections: Qazi

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Tuesday set aside the schedule for election to reserved local government seats in the Punjab and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue a fresh schedule. Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah passed this order by allowing a petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid. PML-Q’s counsel Mubeenudin Qazi said the government had withdrawn amendments made to the local government laws. “However, the elections are to be held as per the law prevalent on August 26, 2015. Instead of issuing a fresh election schedule, the ECP has announced the date of polling. It is also using the nomination papers accepted on the basis of the previous notification, which was withdrawn,” he said. “Under the said schedule, the submission of nomination papers was to commence from January 20, 2016. On that date, the law was again amended and the mode of filling the reserved seats was changed from indirect elections to proportional representation,” he said. Advocate Qazi said a large number of potential candidates were being deprived of their right to participate in elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.