SRO regarding Fata termed ‘legal misconduct’

Islamabad
A legal expert Thursday termed the promulgation of the Statuary Regulatory Order (SRO) that gives MNAs from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) the right to cast only one vote in Senate elections ‘legal misconduct’ and maintained that it could have been avoided at this crucial time.
Prominent legal practitioner Justice (R) Tariq Mehmood told The News that any conduct on part of a person concerned in the administration of justice, which is prejudicial to the rights of the parties is considered legal misconduct and he must say that the incumbent government committed it for some obvious reasons.
“Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) got ballot papers printed in line with the Executive Order, 2002, but when the Fata members reached the Parliament House, they were informed that rules had been changed. So, I think this is something not only fishy but also against the law,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that ECP postponed the Senate elections for Fata seats in the wake of a late night presidential ordinance that restricted MNAs from Fata to just one vote instead of four votes.
ECP has sought the perspective of the Law Ministry over the Statuary Regulatory Order that withdrew the Statutory Regulatory Order of July 7, 1975 and Executive Order, 2002, asking if the new regulation could be implemented after announcement of schedule of the Senate elections.
Justice (R) Tariq Mehmood said that if the government never withdrew the ordinance, ECP would be bound to conduct Senate elections for Fata according to the new law.
To a question, he said that the incumbent government had taken various steps in the recent past that showed either its lack of clarity or ill-faith about certain issues and its efforts to introduce 22nd Amendment also manifested it.
Replying to another question, he said that if one assumed that six MNAs from Fata had formed a cartel and all the four Senate seats from this area were going to specific persons who allegedly made a deal with it, still then, the government must have followed the rules.
Giving some light comments, he said the Cricket World Cup was being held in Australia and all teams got prepared according to rules of the game, but had International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced changes in rules days before the opening of this mega event, all the teams would have protested against it