IHC admits petition challenging PML-N candidatures from Islamabad for Senate polls
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday admitted a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), challenging the candidature of two Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominees who have been issued tickets by the party to contest Senate elections from Islamabad.
The PTI, in its petition, has contended that the PML-N candidates, Zafar Iqbal Jaghra and Raheela Magi, could not contest Senate elections from Islamabad, as they were not the permanent residents of the federal capital.
On Thursday, PTI Spokesperson Sherry Mazari along with her counsel Barrister Shoab Razaq appeared before an IHC division bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq and apprised the court that since both the PML-N nominated candidates were not residents of the capital city, they could not be issued tickets from Islamabad.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that the Election Commission of Pakistan was not implementing its own code of conduct for Senate elections by allowing non-residents to contest elections.
The PTI counsel maintained that since the Senate elections have been slated for March 5, the court may be requested to adjudicate the case at the earliest.
The court while accepting the petition for hearing directed the office to put a diary number on the petition and adjourned the matter till next week.
