Punjab Assembly reserved seats case: LHC issues notice to ECP on PTI petition

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on petitions challenging its ruling on deferring notification of new MPAs on five reserved seats of the Punjab Assembly till the election on 20 vacant seats. 

LHC Judge Shujaat Ali Khan sought a reply from the ECP while hearing separate petitions filed by PTI’s Samuel Yaqoob and others.

On June 2, the ECP had ruled that the allocation of reserved seats — three women and two minorities — would be notified after the conclusion of the by-election for 20 vacant Punjab Assembly seats.

The seats — for which the by-elections will take place — fell vacant after the ECP had de-notified 25 PTI dissident MPAs — 20 general candidates, three women, and two minority members — who had voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz against their party's line during the Punjab chief minister’s election last month.

On Friday, the PTI moved the LHC, challenging the ECP’s ruling on notifying new MPAs on five reserved seats of the provincial assembly.

“ECP is bound to issue notification under Section 6 of Article 224 of the Constitution,” read the petition. The petitioners pleaded with the court to suspend the ECP’s verdict and order to notify new MPAs on the five reserved seats, recommended by the PTI.

Earlier, in a bid to secure the reserved seats, the PTI had asked the ECP to issue the notification based on the current numbers in the Punjab Assembly, but the election body ruled that it would notify the allocation of reserved seats once the by-election takes place on June 17 — and the new party position is formed.

The by-elections will take place on PP-7, PP-83, PP-90, PP-97, PP-125, PP-127, PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-168, PP-170, PP-202, PP-217, PP-224, PP-228, PP-237, PP-272, PP-273, PP-282, and PP-288.