Notices to Centre, ECP in PM case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notices to federal government and Election Commission of Pakistan on a petition challenging the election of Prime Minister Imran Khan on the ground that every single vote was required for the election of the chief executive of the country but 69 votes were not cast in the election.

Advocate Sheikh Zaid Mahmood, a local lawyer, moved the petition through senior lawyer AK Dogar. The petitioner pleaded that it was mandatory under 91 (4) of the Constitution that every member of the National Assembly must cast his vote to the person nominated for the election of prime minister.

The petitioner said two parliamentary parties consisting of 69 members remained sitting in the National Assembly but abstained from voting, failed to perform their function of participating in the establishment of the federal government.

The chosen representatives of the people cannot abstain themselves from casting the votes, he said. He said it was their constitutional duty to exercise their right to vote. The petitioner also made PPP and Jamaat-e-Islami respondents in the petition, saying that neither they voted “yes” nor they said “no” which is constitutionally not allowed.

He asked the court to declare that every MNA must exercise their constitutional duty to elect the leader of the house and chief executive of the state.