The Election Commission has decided to implement the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the return of reserved seats to the PTI. The legal team of the Election Commission has been directed to identify any hindrances in the implementation of the Supreme Court’s verdict to seek further guidance from the court if necessary.
Meeting Led by Chief Election Commissioner
According to an Election Commission spokesman. There was a meeting chaired by the Chief election commissioner discussing. How they would enforce the Supreme Court order on reserved seats. During this meeting, undue criticism of one political party and calling for resignation was heavily criticized by both CEC and members as ridiculous. The spokeswoman stressed that no external pressure will be allowed to interfere with the commission’s activities by constitution and laws.
Clarification of Decisions
The Election Commission clarified that it had not misinterpreted any judgment nor validated the intra-party elections of PTI. The various forums validated the Election Commission’s decision since they did not properly hold intra-party elections hence their electoral symbol was withdrawn. For these reasons, accusations leveled against the Election Commission are entirely out of place.
Role of the Election Commission in Disputes
In response, according to the election commission. The Sunni Ittehad Council challenged decisions made by the Election Commission. Peshawar High Court before the apex court which dismissed their appeal. Moreover, PTI never appeared before EC PHC or SC. According to the spokesperson, 39 MNAs declared themselves as PTI candidates when they submitted their nomination papers. These candidates did not present party tickets and declarations before the returning officer which is mandatory for being the candidate of any party. That is why Returning Officers could not declare them PTI candidates.
Independent Candidates
It further emphasized that none of these 41 independent individuals mentioned PTI in their nomination papers nor showed affiliation with it. Moreover, they did not submit any party tickets at all. Thus Returning Officers let them run independently in the election.
