The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to rule on the ongoing petitions of the PTI and the PML-N about the failure to issue notification of five MPAs on reserved seats in the Punjab Assembly by June 2.
While hearing petitions challenging the failure to notify Punjab MPAs on reserved seats, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti asked the ECP to rule on the matter even if no one appeared.
The petitions were considered by the LHC chief justice, who also heard the appeal of PTI leader Sibtain Khan.
Saeed Gul Khan, the Punjab Election Commissioner, appeared in court.
The ECP’s Hafiz Adeel Ashraf and other law enforcement officers also testified in court.
“Explain! Why did you not issue the notification?” the chief justice asked from DG Law of the ECP.
“We are issuing the notification. Petitions have been received from the PTI and the PML-N only after the de-seating of the members. The date for a decision on these petitions is June 2,” DG Law of the ECP told the court.
“The ECP has been made a party in the petitions. Notices were issued to hear both the parties. June 2 has been fixed for hearing of the issue,” he added.
The PTI’s lawyer, on the other hand, criticised the ECP for purposefully delaying the notification of Punjab MPAs on reserved seats.
After hearing the arguments of the ECP and the PTI’s lawyer, the LHC chief justice asked the ECP to make a decision by June 2 in accordance with the law.
