ECP appeal in LG polls schedule case dismissed

LAHORE

A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday dismissed an intra court appeal of Election Commission of Pakistan requesting to set aside single bench’s order whereby ECP was asked to issue new schedule for reserved seats in local government elections.

Bench comprising Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza issued this order.

Appearing before the court on behalf of the ECP Advocate Hafiz Muhammad Saleem submitted that candidates already had submitted their nomination papers and they should be allowed to contest election on reserved seats for local government elections. He said after completing all arrangements, they had issued a schedule for elections but the court declared the schedule illegal which is causing delay in holding the elections. 

He requested the court to declare the order of the single bench illegal.

Mubinuddin Qazi, counsel for PML-Q argued that the government had withdrawn amendments made to the local government laws. “However, the elections were to be held as per the law prevalent on August 26, 2015. Instead of issuing a fresh election schedule, the ECP had announced the date of polling. It is also using the nomination papers accepted on the basis of the previous notification, which was withdrawn,” he said. “Under the schedule, the submission of nomination papers was to commence from January 20, 2016. On that date, the law was again amended and the mode of filling the reserved seats was changed from indirect elections to proportional representation,” he said. Advocate Qazi said a large number of potential candidates were being deprived of their right to contest elections. He requested the court to dismiss the appeal for being baseless.  After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the appeal.