Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan has directed Election Commission (ECP) of Pakistan to file a reply within 15 days on non-implementation of 9 clauses of electoral reforms during general election, besides seeking reply from the government within one month for conducting Local Bodies (LB) polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Islamabad.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani remarked that conducting elections in equitable and transparent manner in the country is the responsibility of the ECP and it is binding on all the institutions of the country to extend cooperation to ECP in discharging this obligation.
A three-member bench of SC, headed by the CJP, took up for hearing Monday electoral reforms implementation case filed by Pakistan Workers Party (PWP).
The petitioner, Bilal Qutab, told the court that the ECP had not implemented 9 clauses of the electoral reforms set as per laws laid down in Public Representation Act and the court’s decision. Had these clauses been implemented, no one would have felt any need to level any allegation, including rigging, in the May polls in the country.
The court inquired from the ECP DG Sher Afgan what he thought about the case, to which he said the ECP is ready to hold elections, but time be given to him to file reply on the matter of clauses which are being said to have not been implemented.
The court gave the DG 15 days to submit his reply after which the case would be fixed for hearing.
KPK Advocate General told the court that the delimitation process had been completed in the province and that it was ready to hold LB polls.
“The March 10 orders of the court have been implemented. Notification on rules and regulations related to delimitation of constituencies has also been issued” he said, adding that we are waiting for the delimitation in Sindh and Punjab.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case pertaining to holding of LB polls in Islamabad for one month.
The hearing of Imran Khan petition with reference to LB polls in cantonment boards was also put off for indefinite period.
