The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has expressed strong disapproval of the tone and language used by the Supreme Court (SC) in a clarification issued by eight judges regarding the ECP’s queries about a July 12 short order from the apex court. The clarification addressed a matter involving the PTI’s eligibility for reserved seats in the assemblies.
Sources within the ECP, speaking anonymously, expressed frustration, stating that the Commission, being a constitutional body, felt it was unfairly treated in the SC’s clarification. They emphasized that the ECP had acted in accordance with the law and had not accepted Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the chairman of the PTI. The matter of the PTI’s intra-party elections, they said, was still under consideration.
The ECP filed a Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA) with the SC on July 25, soon after the SC’s July 12 order, but the SC issued its clarification only on September 14. The delay, according to ECP sources, was not the Commission’s fault.
In its clarification, the SC rebuked the ECP for “adopting dilatory tactics” and warned of consequences if the ECP failed to fulfill its legal obligations. The court’s order pertained to the PTI-backed independent candidates for reserved seats in the assemblies, with the SC declaring PTI eligible for these seats. The SC judges suggested that the ECP’s plea was a delaying tactic and was without merit.
The ECP, however, had raised concerns about the validity of the PTI’s affidavits submitted after the ruling, pointing out that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was not authorized as the party chairman and questioning the legitimacy of statements made on behalf of the party.
