ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) summoned a meeting on Thursday to discuss the implications of the Elections Act verdict announced by the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.
The meeting will decide the fate of the upcoming Senate elections and recently held by-elections in the light of the judgement in the light of the judgement by the SC, which ruled that a disqualified person could not lead a political party.
On Wednesday, the SC had announced that a person who doesn’t qualify on Article 62 and 63 of the constitution can also not hold the office of the presidency of any political party.
The Section 203 of the Election Act should be read with the Article 62 and 63 of the constitution, SC remarked. “It is declared that any person who suffers from lack of qualification under Article 62 or disqualification under Article 63 of the Constitution is debarred from holding the position of ‘Party Head’ by whatever name called and prohibited from exercising any of the powers provided in Article 63-A of the Constitution, as ‘Party Head’ or any other power in the said capacity under any law, rule, regulation, statute, instrument or document of any political party,”read the court verdict.
SC had also annulled all decisions made by Nawaz Sharif as the party president.
It added that the tickets for Senate elections issued by him will now be cancelled. The ruling party will now have to re-announce its candidates for the Senate polls that were scheduled for next month.
The SC had also directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to remove Nawaz’s name from the column of party presidents.