Supreme Court warns ECP against employing dilatory tactics in reserved seats' verdict
Pakistan
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah issues a four-page detailed judgement on ECP plea
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - In yet another landmark verdict, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday declared the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) plea seeking clarity on reserved seats' ruling a ruse to delay implementation.
The court also ordered the election watchdog to implement the initial verdict in letter and spirit to avoid repercussions.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah issued the four-page detailed judgement on the ECP petition, seeking clarity on SC’s earlier verdict on the reserved seats.
A 13-judge full bench of Supreme Court on July 12 last had declared that the PTI was eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims both in the National as well as provincial assemblies.
The apex court, in its majority 8-5 decision, announced that the conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding reserved seats was unconstitutional.
The July 12 verdict was a major setback for the ruling coalition and made the PTI the single largest party in both houses of parliament.
The apex court had also declared the PTI a legit parliamentary party despite being denied its iconic symbol bat.
“The petition of ECP seeking clarification of SC order on reserved seats is hindrance to the implementation of judicial order,” said the apex court in the detailed judgement issued on Saturday.
Also Read: Reserved seats: SC tips the scales in PTI's favour in landmark verdict
The ECP itself accepted Barrister Gohar as party chairman, the Supreme Court observed.
“The ECP can also face the constitutional and legal consequences for not implementing the SC order,” it said.
It is completely wrong not to accept the affidavits submitted by the PTI members in the ECP, the apex court observed in its detailed verdict.
The Supreme Court rejected the attempts made by the ECP to create confusion in strong words in its judgement issued on Saturday.
The Supreme Court directed the ECP to implement its order immediately to avoid any legal consequences.
Read More: PTI approaches SC for implementation of order on reserved seats
“As per the position so determined, the said returned candidates were and are the returned candidates of PTI and thus members of the parliamentary party of PTI in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies concerned, for all constitutional and legal purposes,” said the judgement.
“The attempt by the commission to confuse and cloud what is otherwise absolutely clear as a matter of the Constitution and the law must therefore be strongly deprecated,” the judgement added.
