Election commission: ‘Does the court have jurisdiction?’

The petitioners says that the constitutional term of the incumbent parliament is going to expire in March.

LAHORE: Hearing several petitions against the holding of by-elections in vacant constituencies of the Punjab, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed petitioners’ counsels to argue whether the high court had jurisdiction in election affairs after the announcement of the election schedule.  The petitioners had submitted that the constitutional term of the incumbent parliament was going to expire in March. They submitted that according to law, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could not hold by-polls 120 days before the next general elections. They requested the court to restrain the ECP from holding by-polls. The judge said that once the election schedule was announced, grievance against the process could be heard by an election tribunal. The judge adjourned the hearing till November 29 and directed the counsels to come up with arguments on the writ jurisdiction of the high court in the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2012.