PTI moves SC to halt govt formation at Centre, provinces

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to halt the process of formation of federal and provincial governments and set aside the appointment notification for an ECP committee to probe allegations levelled by former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha regarding rigging in elections.

PTI leader advocate Sher Afzal Marwat filed a petition with the apex court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, making respondents the federal government, secretary Interior, Election Commission of Pakistan, Sikandar Sultan Raja, Chief Election Commissioner, Baber Hassan Bharwana, Member (Punjab), Justice (R) Ikramullah Khan, Member (KP), Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Member (Balochistan), and Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Member (Sindh).

Filed through advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi, Marwat prayed to the apex court to set aside the appointment notification for the respondents including Sikandar Sultan Raja as against the law and Constitution and the orders passed by them as illegal, coram non judice, without jurisdiction and of no legal effect. Marwat prayed to the apex court to set aside the committee constituted by the Election Commission of Pakistan, adding that the secretary Interior might be required to notify a judicial commission to consolidate/tabulate overall election results including that of Rawalpindi Division on the basis of Form 45 afresh by keeping this petition pending.

He prayed to the court to set aside Form 47 of all national and provincial constituencies, prepared in violation of Section 13 (3) of the Election Act 2017. He said the process of forming governments be held in abeyance till the final decision of this petition and all ECP offices be restrained from passing any fresh order during the inquiry. He submitted that the valuable fundamental rights of the public including the petitioner under Article 2-A, 4, 9, 10-A, 25, 27 (1) of the Constitution had been infringed.

He submitted the ECP had failed to conduct elections honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with the law within the meanings of Article 218 (3) of the Constitution. The ECP orders would be of no legal value if the composition of the commission or appointment of any of its members is in violation of the law or Constitution.