ECP served notice on PM Imran’s petition

IHC summons AGP for assistance in next hearing

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking a reply by March 28 on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s petition against the notice issued to him for participating in the election campaign in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Justice Amir Farooq has issued a three-page written order while hearing the petition against the ban on participation of Premier Imran and ministers in the election campaign.

The court also directed Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan to appear before it in the next hearing for assistance.

Read Defying ECP

Prime Minister Imran and Planning Minister Asad Umar could not get an immediate stay order since they did not appear before the commission despite its notice.

PM Imran’s lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar took the stand that the ban on participation of the premier and ministers in election campaigns is against the law.

In the petition, the prime minister and the federal minister had challenged the ECP’s jurisdiction after the passage of the legislation pertaining to elections.

They had contended that the ECP did not have the authority to stop them from participating in the election campaign since the amended law allowed them to do so. They questioned whether the commission had the authority to exclude the amended law from its code of conduct.