Another application filed in LHC against Election Amendment Act 2024
Pakistan
Requests the court to declare the Election Amendment Act 2024 unconstitutional.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Citizen Muneer Ahmad through Azhar Siddique advocate has filed an application in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Election Amendment Act 2024.
The applicant has made the federal government, Election Commission (ECP) and various political parties respondent in the plea.
The petitioner contended in the application that the act aimed to annul the Supreme Court’s reserved seats judgement as the act couldn’t be applicable from the past.
The applicant requested the court to declare the Election Amendment Act 2024 unconstitutional.
Petitioner pleaded with the court to halt provision of reserved seats to other parties except PTI until the final judgement on the application.
It is pertinent to note that already an application against the Election Amendment Act had been filed in the LHC that made PM, president, ECP, and federal government parties.
The petition stated that four amendments were made to the Election Act and passed without consultation and approval of the relevant committee.
Petitioner requested the court to declare the sections 1,2,3, and 4 of the Election Act null and void and halt enforcement of the act.
PTI has also filed the application in the Supreme Court against the Election Amendment Act and labelled it an attempt to thwart the PTI party.
ELECTION AMENDMENT ACT
President Asif Ali Zardari on August 7 signed the 'controversial' Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 which became a law.
The Senate passed the Election Act Amendment Bill by a majority vote despite protest by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Aug 6.
As the session started with Yousuf Raza Gilani in the chair, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Talal Chaudhry presented the Election Act Amendment Bill. The opposition members stood on their seats and started to protest.
Read: Reserved seats granted to party having no representation in Parliament, says Atta Tarar
The amendment provides that “a candidate who does not submit the party certificate before obtaining the election symbol will be considered an independent candidate.
If the list of candidates for reserved seats is not submitted within the specified period, no political party will be entitled to those seats.”
It also provides that any candidate's declaration of affiliation to a political party will be irrevocable.
SC RESERVED SEATS VERDICT
Last month, a 13-member full court bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa delivered a verdict on the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) petition related to reserved seats.
Justices Aminuddin Khan and Naeem Afghan had dissented from the majority decision.
The Supreme Court had annulled the decisions of the Peshawar High Court and the Election Commission, ordering that the reserved seats be allocated to the PTI.
Also read: Election Amendment Act aims to thwart PTI, asserts Omar Ayub
