SC moved for restoring Punjab, KP assemblies

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) was requested on Wednesday to issue directions for restoring the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Nasir Mehmood, Chairman Pakistan Awami League, filed a petition in the apex court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, making the president, prime minister, secretaries Establishment Division and Finance Division, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others as respondents.

The petitioner prayed the apex court to restore the Punjab and KP assemblies. And if holding of elections in both the provinces were necessary, then the court should order Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to deposit all expenses for the elections in advance so that the public money was not spent on that electoral activity.

He further prayed that pending final disposal of the instant petition, the ECP might be restrained from conducting election to both these assemblies. The petitioner submitted that Pakistan was passing through hard times, and spending Rs21 billion on holding of election of the Punjab and KP assemblies would cause further financial problems for the people of Pakistan.

He submitted that assemblies in these two provinces were dissolved prematurely on the whims and wishes of the PTI chairman.

He contended that Imran Khan gave a public statement recently that the assemblies of Punjab and KP were dissolved on the advice of former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, which was an unconstitutional and illegal act.