Senate elections: ‘ECP failed to honour obligations’

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought a reply from the Election Commission of Pakistan for failing to implement Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution while scrutinising candidates for elections to the Senate.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing a petition filed against the failure of the commission to fulfil its constitutional obligations in this regard. Azhar Siddique, the counsel for the petitioner, said the lax scrutiny of candidates had allowed many an ineligible person to contest the elections. He said the commission had been given a constitutional mandate to ensure that the elections were conducted justly. Siddique said the ECP had not disqualified candidates who had filed nomination papers by enrolling their names on voter lists in other provinces to contest the elections. He asked the court to direct the commission to ensure that the provisions of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution were enforced with regard to vetting candidates for the elections. Judge Shah directed the ECP to file a reply by March 17.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2015.