Salman Akram Raja moves SC against ECP decision on independent candidature

ISLAMABAD: Senior lawyer and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate from NA-128 (Lahore) Salman Akram Raja Friday moved the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan decision of declaring him as an independent candidate for February 8 polls.

He filed a petition under Article 185(3) of the Constitution seeking leave to appeal against the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict passed on January 25. He made the ECP, its secretary and NA-128 returning officer as respondents.

In the petition, Raja submitted that although the PTI had been deprived of a single symbol for all its candidates by the ECP, its existence and functioning as a political party remained unaffected.

He contended that the party continued to exist and had not been dissolved, adding that PTI candidates might not have a single symbol, but it did not mean that the candidates cease to be belonging to the PTI.

Meanwhile, the ECP on Friday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Salman Akram Raja challenging his declaration as an independent candidate from NA-128 for the upcoming general elections.

A five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case here at the ECP Secretariat. Advocate Sameer Khosa appeared on behalf of the petitioner, whereas the concerned District Returning Officer of NA-128 also sent a report to the ECP on the matter.

As the arguments of the ECP lawyer were also completed, the commission reserved the decision on the petition.