PHC stays suspension of JUI-F councillors

Party members were suspended by ECP for violating party discipline

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has stayed the suspension of five Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl councillors in Lakki Marwat for voting in favour of an opposition candidate for the district nazim slot. It has sought a reply from the Election Commission of Pakistan.

A divisional bench of Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Qalandar Ali heard a writ petition filed by Maulana Asghar and others through their lawyer Muhammad Anwar on Tuesday.

Anwar informed the bench his clients were elected as district councillors on JUI-F tickets. One of them was elected on a minority seat. He argued JUI-F boycotted district nazim elections, leaving his clients with no option but to vote for a candidate nominated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Anwar told the court JUI-F leadership wrote a letter to ECP and requested it to disqualify the councillors for going against party discipline. He said the authority suspended the councillors before the completion of a hearing against them, saying such an action was unlawful and unconstitutional.

He argued his clients were public representatives and could vote for opposition candidates if their party boycotts the election. He urged the court to declare ECP’s decision as null and void and restore the council memberships of his clients. After hearing the arguments, the court ordered a stay on the notification of suspension and sought a reply from ECP.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2015.