Political rivalry: ECP to take action on MPA’s plea

Justice Shah then instructed ECP to arrive at a decision quickly and disposed of the MPA’s petition.

LAHORE: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide the fate of a lawmaker’s transfer application as quickly as possibly. Rashida Yaqoob, the petitioner, said that she had been elected as a member of the provincial assembly from Jhang. She said that Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, a losing candidate, had filed a petition before the election tribunal challenging her victory. Yaqoob said that she was incapable of pursuing the proceedings due to threats from some extremists in Jhang. She said that she had filed an application seeking the transfer of the proceedings to some other tribunal. Yaqoob said that there had been no progress on that front for a very long time. She requested the court to direct the commission to decide the fate of her application as soon as possible because she feared for her life. Justice Shah then instructed the election commission to arrive at a decision quickly and disposed of the MPA’s petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2014.