ECP adjourns hearing of petitions challenging Nawaz’s PML-N presidency for indefinite period

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday adjourned the hearing of applications challenging the election of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif as president of the ruling PML-N.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza has been hearing petitions lodged by Pakistani Awami Tehreek (PAT), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and other parties challenging the party presidency of Nawaz Sharif, who had been asked to give up PML-N’s presidency following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case on July 28 that declared him disqualified from holding public office.

Although no one appeared before the commission on behalf of the PTI, Advocate Niaz Inquilabi represented PAT and himself on a petition that he had lodged.

The election commissioner observed that the Elections Act 2017 has already been challenged in the Supreme Court (SC).

“What can we do in this matter?” he remarked.

The counsel argued that PML-N had been registered in the name of a disqualified person.

To this, the CEC observed that PML-N is registered with the name of Pakistan Muslim League and that ‘Nawaz’ represents ‘Quaid’ or leader of the party.

Since the case is already being heard by the Supreme Court,  the ECP adjourned the hearing of the four petitions for an indefinite period.

During the previous hearing of the case on November 15, the chief election commissioner (CEC) had told the legal counsel of PAT that the recent amendments to the Elections Act 2017 had provided a legal cover to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.

The CEC had stated that the amendments had been introduced to rules relating to holding of party offices in the Constitution.

The government had introduced amendments to the Election Bill 2017 through the National Assembly on October 2, paving way for leaders barred from holding public office to lead a political party, allowing Nawaz Sharif to head PML-N as party president.

A day later, Nawaz was re-elected president of PML-N unopposed.

Following Nawaz’s re-election as party president, opposition parties filed petitions in the ECP challenging Nawaz’s re-election.