Lawmakers resignation case: ECP, Durrani given more time to file replies

The petitioners seek the denotification of four PTI legislators, fresh by-polls

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday granted two weeks to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and others to file replies to a petition seeking the denotification of four Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators.

A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Faisal Arab, was hearing a petition seeking fresh by-elections on the seats that fell vacant with the resignation of four PTI MPAs in Sindh.

In their joint petition, Muhammad Shahid Sheikh and others stated that PTI MPAs Syed Hafeezuddin, Samar Ali Khan, Khurram Sher Zaman and Dr Seema Zia - who were declared as returned candidates on PS-93, PS-112, PS-113 and RSW-159 respectively in the May 2013 general elections - had resigned from their seats to protest the alleged rigging in the elections. The petitioners argued that while the resignations were accepted by Durrani on January 21, 2015, the ECP did not announce the schedule for by-elections in the vacant constituencies as it was mandated to do.

They pleaded to the court to issue directives to Durrani to denotify the PTI lawmakers from the roll of Sindh Assembly’s MPAs and inform the ECP about it so that by-elections could be held on the vacant seats.

In the last hearing, the two judges had issued notices to the ECP, Durrani and others to file their comments.

During Friday’s proceedings, the law officers requested more time for the election commission and Durrani to submit their comments. Granting this request, the bench directed them to file their comments within two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2015.