ECP told to attach SC verdict in Senate polls case

The Peshawar High Court has adjourned the hearing on the petition to hold Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa until October 15. .

It has directed the Election Commission's (EC) lawyer to attach a copy of the Supreme Court's decision and other relevant documents to the case file.

During the hearing, when Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmed began proceedings, the petitioner's lawyer, Advocate Ali Zaman, informed the court that Senate elections were held in all provinces except Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

He argued that currently, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has no representation in the Senate, and the latter is incomplete.

Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim asked if the detailed decision regarding reserved seats had been issued, to which the petitioner's lawyer responded that while the decision on reserved seats had been made, it has not yet been implemented.

The Election Commission's lawyer, Mohsin Kamran, told the court that they had filed a review petition on the case and sought the court's guidance on how to proceed.

He argued that Senate members are elected for a term of six years, but Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa still has no elected Senate members. He said that the petition was filed to ensure the Senate elections are held in K-P, as they were initially scheduled for April 2, 2024, but were postponed.

The lawyer mentioned that they had previously filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Peshawar High Court's decision on reserved seats, and the Supreme Court had ruled in their favor. The lawyer further stated that the petition had been filed on March 30, 2024, following a five-member bench decision of the PHC on March 25, which the Supreme Court suspended.

The Supreme Court eventually nullified the High Court's decision, ruling in favor of the petitioners.

He also noted that an objection was raised at the time, claiming that the petition was time-barred, but the court had stated that the petition was seeking an election date.