ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), yesterday, accepting the apex court verdict, announced to implementation it by awarding reserved seats to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The top election regulatory authority meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, after receiving a detailed briefing by secretary ECP decided to implement the Supreme Court decision on reserved seats.
It was decided by the electoral watchdog would get direction from judges in chamber if any point of the judicial decision becomes obstructed in execution of the SC order.
“In case of any obstacle, the Supreme Court will be approached for further guidance,” the ECP declaration said.
The ECP, however, rejected a political party’s criticism and resignation demand of Chief Election Commissioner.
The ECP, over the criticism by political forces over CEC, without naming political party strongly condemned it.
The ECP rejected the continuous unwarranted criticism by a political party and also rejected the demand for resignation from the ECP and termed it as ‘absurd’.
According to the statement, “The ECP will continue to work by the Constitution and the law regardless of any pressure.”
It was stated that the ECP has not misinterpreted any decision and ECP did not declare PTI’s intra-party elections as valid statement as various forums upheld the decision of the ECP.
The intra-party elections were by the law and the election symbols were withdrawn without and blaming the Election Commission of Pakistan in such situation is very inappropriate.
Now, as per the statement, the 39 members of the National Assembly were declared PTI members as those members had declared their affiliation with PTI in their nomination papers.
“To be a candidate of a party, party ticket and declaration must be submitted to Returning Officer,” the declaration explained.
“These 39 members of PTI had not submitted party tickets and declarations,” ECP said adding, “The returning officers couldn’t declare those members as PTI candidates.”
“This is the reason why the returning officers allowed them to contest the election as independents. Within three days of winning the elections, MNAs voluntarily joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC),” the ECP declaration reads.
Now, the National Assembly Secretariat will also implement the declaration of the ECP to award seats to the PTI members.
The opposition parry has also planned to submit requisition in the National Assembly Secretariat so that the NA session be summoned to award seats to them.
