Petition dismissed: PTI should trust and respect institutions: IHC

Asks party to approach ECP to upload Form 14 on its website.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) seeking uploading of Form-14 on the website of the Election Commission of Pakistan while observing that the party should trust and respect institutions.

The bench, comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Athar Minallah, directed the petitioner to file a formal request with the ECP for uploading of Form-14 --- which contains detailed results of every polling station in each electoral constituency --- on its official website. The court further said that if their request was not entertained by the ECP, they may file a fresh petition in the court.



PTI’s Additional General Secretary Saifullah Khan Niazi had filed the petition seeking court order for publishing Form-14 on the ECP’s official website.

The petitioner’s counsel said that under Section 38 of the Public Representation Act, every citizen has the right to access Form-14. He argued that several discrepancies and irregularities were committed during the 2013 elections and they were currently lodging countrywide protests against the poll results.

The bench observed that the ECP chief is a judge of the Supreme Court and the petitioner should have faith in him.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2014.