Reserved seats: PTI moves SC for contempt proceedings against ECP

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has moved a contempt petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not implementing the apex court’s July 12 order in the reserved seats case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A petition submitted by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja mentioned the chief election commissioner and provincial election commissioners as the respondents. He argued that the court’s judgement and further two clarifications on its verdict “leave no doubt whatsoever” that the PTI was entitled to reserved seats. Despite that, Raja said the ECP had yet to act upon the judgement and complete the process of electing lawmakers on reserved seats.

“This deliberate failure to act in accordance with the judgment renders the chief election commissioner as well as the four members of the ECP liable to proceedings for the contempt of the judgment of this honourable court,” he argued. The PTI secretary general requested that contempt of court proceedings be initiated against the ECP and it be directed to comply with the July 12 verdict.

PTI contended that on July 12, a 13-judge full bench of the apex court had declared that the opposition PTI was eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, dealing a major setback to PM Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition and potentially making the PTI the single largest party in both houses of Parliament.