Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Shakirullah Jan has said the Election Commission will take action against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani after the Supreme Court delivered its detailed verdict in the prime minister’s contempt case.
Addressing a press conference at a local hotel on Monday, he said the Election Commission (ECP) had received the short verdict of the Supreme Court regarding the contempt of court case against the prime minister, over which the ECP summoned a meeting to deliberate the issue. He stated that it had been decided that the ECP would not take any action against PM, until it received the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court. Replying to a question, he said the Assembly speaker and ECP were two constitutionally acknowledged institutions, who have to perform within constitutional ambits.
The acting CEC parried a question regarding the eligibility of Gilani as the prime minister after the Supreme Court verdict. Referring to the issue of electoral lists, he expressed the strong resolve of the ECP to rectify the electoral lists in a transparent manner. He added that currently the ECP employed 2,200 employees, who were unable to carry out the rectification of electoral lists and that the ECP required the cooperation of others in this connection.
He also cited Article 220, which made it mandatory for all institutions to cooperate with the ECP.
While replying to the concluding question of the press conference, he announced that the system of computerised electoral lists will be competed by the end of the last week of May.