ECP stays notification of MPAs on reserved seats

Top election body rejects PTI, PML-N pleas

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected the PTI and PML-N petitions, and stayed the notification of new MPAs on five seats of Punjab Assembly reserved for women and minorities after they fell vacant following the de-seating of 25 PTI dissident lawmakers, until the by-polls on them are held.

The five vacant seats include three seats of women and two of minorities.

Last month, the seats fell vacant following the ECP’s decision to de-seat 25 dissident lawmakers of the party for defying party directives and voting for PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz for the post of Punjab chief minister.

Following this, the PTI knocked on the doors of the Lahore High Court (LHC) with a prayer to pass directions to the ECP for notifying the five new MPAs.

A five-member bench of the ECP on Thursday announced the ruling which was reserved earlier in the day in line with the LHC order.

The decision had been reserved after arguments by the PTI and PML-N counsels.

The ECP while staying the notification of new MPAs on reserved seats of Punjab Assembly stated that it would be issued after by-elections on them are held.

The election supervisor rejected the PTI’s plea to notify members of five reserved seats in the provincial assembly and also turned down the PML-N’s request to distribute them according to the number of party seats.

During the hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf contended that if a party had less representation in the assembly it would have reduced number of reserved seats.

He asked the ECP to notify the members on reserved seats after the by-elections.

By-elections on 20 general seats of Punjab Assembly are scheduled to be held on July 17.

According to the ECP’s decision, the reserved seats will be distributed under proportional representation after the by-polls.

Responding to the development, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry censured the ECP and said the party would challenge its verdict in the Supreme Court.

Another party leader Farrukh Habib maintained that the electoral body’s decision was an “open violation” of Article 224(6) of constitution, adding that those de-seated on the reserved seats should have been notified.

Meanwhile, a petition on Thursday was filed in the Supreme Court against the election supervisor’s decision to de-seat the dissident members from Punjab Assembly.

The constitutional petition filed by Advocate Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta stated that the decision of the election supervisor was against the Constitution and law.

It said that under Article 63-A of the Constitution the issue of bringing to justice dissident MPAs should be decided be parliament.

The applicant requested the court to do away with the disqualification of the de-seated members and allow them to sit in the assembly.

The court was further asked to suspend the ECP’s decision until the petition was decided.