PHC issues notice to ECP on PTI’s contempt plea

ECP’s response on notice sought by January 16

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a contempt plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not issuing the party certificate on their website.

PTI had filed a contempt of court petition against the election commission, over failing to issue the party certificate despite the orders of the high court.

The contempt plea against the election body was heard by PHC judges Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Waqar Ahmed.

During the hearing, Advocates Qazi Anwar and Shah Faisal Ilyas appeared before the court and presented their arguments on the case.

Following the arguments, the court issued a notice to ECP and directed the election body to submit a response at the next hearing scheduled for January 16.

Read: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2452913/pti-files-contempt-plea-in-phc-against-ecp

A day earlier, PTI filed a contempt plea in the provincial high court against the electoral watchdog.

The party had made Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, secretary election commission, and members of the ECP respondents in the petition, which came a day after the high court returned the electoral symbol of 'bat' to PTI and nullified the electoral watchdog's earlier decision.

The petition stated that "this action by the ECP is considered contempt of court, hindering PTI's regular electoral process, as evident from the court's explicit instructions".

Earlier, the PHC had declared “illegal” the ECP's decision to revoke the PTI’s ‘bat’ electoral symbol and reject its intra-party polls.

In the short order, the PHC said that the ECP order was “illegal, without any lawful authority and of no legal effect”. The court also instructed the ECP to publish the certificate submitted by PTI after its internal polls on the commission's website.