Polls’ date controversy: PHC directs KP governor, ECP to submit replies

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit their replies before next hearing on May 4 in a case regarding early polls in the province.

A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ibrahim Khan and Justice Abdul Shakoor directed the governor and the ECP to submit written replies in the court before May 4. The verdict in the case will be issued at the next hearing after the replies are submitted.

The counsel for the ECP, Mohsin Kamran, earlier asked the court to give 15 days’ time to the electoral body so that they can submit their reply.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved in mid-January and a caretaker setup was installed in the province for over three months now.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had moved the PHC for conducting early elections in KP by cancelling the notification regarding polls in the province on October 8.

The petition filed by former speaker of KP Assembly Mushtaq Ghani challenged the announcement by Governor Ghulam Ali on March 24 and an ECP’s notification issued on March 27 regarding conducting elections of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on October 8. The petition maintained that the governor violated the constitution by disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding schedule for polls in KP. It requested the court to direct the KP governor and the ECP to announce a schedule for early polls and cancel the notification regarding conducting elections on October 8. The writ petition stated that elections cannot be delayed due to law and order or financial challenges as every government would use such excuses to delay polls in future. Last month Governor Ghulam Ali proposed holding polls for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on October 8, citing poor law and order in the province.