PTI challenges ECP schedule for by-elections on vacant NA seats

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenged on Saturday the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) schedule for by-elections on nine National Assembly seats.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry filed a miscellaneous application with the Islamabad High Court (IHC), requesting the high court to suspend the election schedule.

It has been stated in the application filed that a petition is currently pending against the acceptance of nine PTI leaders’ resignations in a phased manner.

The court heard the application on August 4 and issued a notice, the application stated, adding that the schedule was issued despite the ECP being aware of the notice.

The plea further called for the ECP’s schedule, issued on August 5, to be suspended.

Moreover, the party requested that till a decision is reached in the PTI’s main case, the election schedule should remain suspended.

Imran to contest alone

Hours after the ECP announced the schedule for the by-elections, PTI chief Imran Khan decided to contest alone on all nine seats that fell vacant after the National Assembly speaker accepted the resignations of his party’s lawmakers.

Read Resignations of 11 PTI MNAs accepted

As per the ECP's schedule the by-polls in the constituencies will be held on September 25.

The PTI chairman's decision to contest the polls for all the vacant NA seats has raised the stakes of the otherwise considered dull by-elections.

‘No trust in ECP’

Earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry while speaking to the media expressed his and the party’s lack of trust in the ECP.

Fawad said that he was not ready to give more time than this and the Election Commission should have respected the court's decision regarding the by-elections and stopped the schedule till August 16.

The PTI leader said that there was no trust in the current Election Commission. “We do not trust any decision of this Election Commission and the process of elections.”

"The election commission should have waited till August 16 to schedule the by-elections," he said, adding that the way the government wanted the elections to be held was not possible as the PTI will not leave the battlefield.