- CEC announces verdict to be announced on August 10
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition against the institution’s jurisdiction to hear contempt proceedings.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan announced that the verdict on the case would be announced on August 10. Only the Supreme Court and a high court can take up proceedings for contempt as per the constitution, PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan reasoned with the five-member bench during the proceedings.
He said a legal framework needs to be put in place in order for the ECP to take up contempt proceedings, as the 1976 Contempt of Court ceases to exist. The ECP had issued the contempt notice to Imran Khan on January 24 over his scandalous remarks about the commission.
The petitioner, who had also filed the foreign funding case against the PTI leadership, had informed the ECP that the PTI chief had accused the ECP of being biased in the foreign funding case following which his counsel tendered an apology with the commission.
The petitioner said in a TV interview, Imran said that his counsel had apologised in a personal capacity and he hadn’t apologised to the commission.
