ECP reserves decision on PMLN pleas for changing election tribunal

ISLAMABAD: On completion of arguments, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday reserved its decision on the applications of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN)’s lawmakers Raja Khurram Nawaz and Anjum Aqeel, seeking to change the election tribunal.

A four-member ECP bench, under Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, conducted a hearing on the applications to change the election tribunal. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Ali Bukhari and Raja Khurram Nawaz appeared with their lawyers.

The PTI lawyer submitted to the forum that one word ‘controversial’ had been changed in the amended petition while the rest of the grounds were the same, the facts of the petition were insufficient for a change of tribunal. The CEC asked the lawyer whether the tribunal could be transferred from the sitting judge. “What is the difference between a retired judge and a sitting judge?”

Similarly, Anjum Aqeel’s request for change of tribunal was also heard where PTI leader Amir Mughal’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry submitted a written reply and objections to PMLN’s legislator.

Later, the ECP reserved its decision on the two applications, as it did a few days back with regard to another PMLN lawmaker Tariq Fazal Chaudhry’s petition, filed for the same purpose.