PML-N challenges award of reserved seats to PTI in ECP

In a move to prevent the PTI from getting the reserved seats as decreed by a larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC), two PML-N MPAs from Punjab on Thursday filed a petition in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking a declaration that the political party which did not submit the list for reserved seats under the Election Act was not entitled to these seats, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Two PML-N MPAs, Amina Hassan Sheikh and Mohsin Ayub, in their petition, argued that those independent candidates who later joined a party could not switch to any other party.

They further said that the amendment made by parliament to the Election Act was retrospective in nature.  

And as per these amendments, the petitioners added, once a winning candidate submits the certificate of his affiliation with a certain political party cannot change it.

Four days ago, the SC had dismissed the ECP plea, seeking its guidance on the verdict in the reserved seats’ case of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Eight judges who gave a majority verdict namely Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan issued the clarification.

“Putting together the record placed before us [top court], and considering the same in light of the short order, leaves in little doubt that the clarification sought by the commission is nothing more than a contrived device and adoption of dilatory tactics,” the eight judges ruled in the order.

Reporter: Usman Khan