NA-122 by-poll: Plea filed for replacement of RO

Petitioner Advocate Munsif Awan requested the court to direct the ECP to remove Iqbal and make a new appointment

LAHORE:

A writ petition has been filed in Lahore High Court seeking directions for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to replace the returning officer (RO) for the upcoming by-poll in NA-122.

Petitioner Advocate Munsif Awan, a candidate in the by-poll, has submitted that the returning officer, Zahid Iqbal, had failed in the past to conduct elections in a fair manner. He said the RO had failed to perform his statutory and constitutional duty prescribed in the Representation of Peoples Act of 1976.

Awan requested the court to direct the ECP to remove Iqbal and make a new appointment in accordance with the eligibility criteria.

Further, the petitioner sought directions for the ECP to scrutinise nomination papers of all candidates in the by-election in view of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. He said the details of the scrutiny of nomination papers should be uploaded on the ECP website.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2015.