Punjab Assembly passes resolution against CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Sunday passed a resolution against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, and demanded his resignation as chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The resolution comes after the PTI's reservations against the CEC's alleged lack of impartiality in the election process.

PTI’s Member Provincial Assembly Syed Abbas Ali Shah presented the resolution during a session chaired by Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan.

Shortly before taking up the resolution, Khan also administered oath to newly-elected Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayoom, who won the elections unopposed, as no one, apart from him, filed nomination papers for the coveted Punjab Assembly post.

Following the proceedings on Sunday, the Punjab Assembly’s session has been deferred until 1PM on August 15.

It should be noted that the PTI leadership held a high-level meeting on Saturday during which they decided to file a judicial reference against the Chief Election Commissioner. PTI Chief Imran Khan directed the party’s legal experts to prepare a reference against him. The decision came after the party’s repeated demands calling for CEC’s resignation.

During the meeting, the leadership also decided that provincial governments would take action against the election commission, and that two provincial assemblies — in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — would pass no-trust motions against the ECP.