IHC nullifies ECP’s objections against MML, accepts plea for registration

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday nullified the objections of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to register Milli Muslim League (MML) and has accepted the plea for its registration as a political party.

The MML had filed a writ petition against ECP’s refusal to register it as a political entity.

Justice Aamir Farooq invalidated the ECP’s order of ban on the party and instructions for its registration have been given to ECP.

The case was argued by MML counsels Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi and Advocate Sohail Warraich during the last hearing.  The court, after hearing the point of views of both parties, reserved the verdict which was announced on Thursday.

Earlier, in response to interior ministry’s letter to ECP on September 26, 2017, that MML should not be registered, the MML’s counsel asserted that there was no FIR registered against any of the party members. On these grounds, the party’s counsel considered the objection of interior minister regarding MML’s registration as unjustified.

Even then the ECP had refused to register Milli Muslim League as a political party and the case remained pending in the court until the judgment was announced Thursday.

MML President Saifullah Khalid, Central Information Secretary Tabish Qayyum and others were also present at the occasion. After the decision of IHC, a wave of relief and delight ran among the workers and activists of the party.

Last year, Milli Muslim League-backed candidate Yaqoob Sheikh bagged more than 6,000 votes in NA-120 by-elections ringing alarms for all the status-quo political forces of the country.