The PTI submitted a contempt petition in the Supreme Court on Monday against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not implementing the top court’s July 12 order in the reserved seats case.
On July 12, a 13-judge full bench of the apex court had declared that the opposition PTI was eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition and potentially making the PTI the single largest party in both houses of Parliament.
The Supreme Court had also declared the PTI a parliamentary party. The majority judgement explained that 39 out of the 80 MNAs, shown by the ECP as PTI candidates, belonged to the party. The rest of the 41 independents would have to file duly signed and notarised statements before the commission within 15 days, explaining that they contested the February 8 general elections as a candidate of a particular political party.
Through many developments and admonitions by the apex court, the ECP has still not yet implemented the verdict.
A petition submitted by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja today mentioned the chief election commissioner and provincial election commissioners as the respondents.
He argued that the court’s judgement and further two clarifications on its verdict “leave no doubt whatsoever” that the PTI was entitled to reserved seats.
Despite that, Raja said the ECP had yet to act upon the judgement and complete the process of electing lawmakers on reserved seats.
“This deliberate and contumacious failure to act in accordance with the judgment … renders the chief election commissioner as well as the four members of the ECP liable to proceedings for the contempt of the judgment of this honourable court,” he argued.
The PTI secretary general requested that contempt of court proceedings be initiated against the ECP and it be directed to comply with the July 12 verdict.
