Senate elections: Production orders to be issued for detained MPs

Ag APP

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser decided on Sunday to issue production orders for detained parliamentarians so that they could vote in the upcoming Senate elections.

Sources from the Leader of the Opposition’s office told Geo News that production orders will be issued for those who were currently in custody, adding it was the right of every parliamentarian to vote.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif are the notable detained lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Besides, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Khursheed Shah and MNA Ali Wazir Khan are also under detention. Sources confirmed that production orders for these four parliamentarians had been sent to the Speaker. They will be brought to Islamabad on March 2 i.e. a day before the Senate elections. The Senate elections are set to be held on March 3 for 48 seats – two Islamabad seats, 11 seats each for Punjab and Sindh and 12 seats each for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The ECP on Saturday extended date for filing nomination papers from February 13 to February 15. According to the Election Commission Media Wing, the election commission while fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities, issued an election programme on February 11, 2021 to hold elections on the seats vacated due to the retirement of members of the Senate.

It was highlighted in print and electronic media that the candidates were finding it difficult to meet the legal requirements due to lack of time to submit their nomination papers. In this regard, written and oral requests were also received for extension in the date for submission of nomination papers.

In view of all these facts and for the convenience of the candidates, the ECP has extended the last date for the submission of nomination papers to February 15.

In addition, the list of nominated candidates will be posted on February 16. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held from February 17 to 18 in the offices of the Returning Officers.

The last date for appeal to the tribunal against the decisions of the Returning Officers to accept or reject the nomination papers is February 20 while the last date for disposal of these appeals is February 23. The revised list of candidates will be posted on February 24 in light of the tribunal’s decision. The date for withdrawal of nomination papers is February 25. The electoral body said the already fixed date for polling for the Senate elections, which is March 3, will not change.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has constituted a five-judge larger bench to commence the hearing on Monday (today) on a presidential reference seeking the court’s opinion whether ‘open ballot’ for Senate elections would help acknowledge the respect of choice and desire of the citizen voters. The larger bench would be headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and include Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi. Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan would represent President Dr Arif Alvi.

On the previous hearing on February 11, the court had directed the Attorney General to conclude his arguments in 15 minutes on Monday. After the Attorney General, Senator Raza Rabbani would start his arguments followed by all the four advocate generals.