Petition in Murree UC election case forwarded to ECP

Rawalpindi

Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench, on Wednesday forwarded a petition to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for adjudication in which the petitioner had challenged depriving 400 voters from casting their votes under the decision of a ‘panchayat’ in Khajat of Union Council Misari of Murree Metropolitan Corporation.

According to the petition, in Khajat at polling station number 119 as many as 400 voters were prevented from casting their votes under a ‘panchayat’ decision on Election Day (December 5).

The LHC judge has directed the ECP to decide the matter before issuing a final notification of the election results.

Petitioner Muhammad Shabbir, through his counsel Raja Shafqat Abbasi, advocate, had prayed before the court to annul the elections in the union council.

It is to mention here that election commission had formed a new UC in Murree by the name of Numbal. Formation of this new UC was challenged before the LHC and an LHC bench had undone the formation of new UCs and restored previous demarcation. Khajat is one area out of four adjoining Numbal. In rest of the three areas elections were not held but in Khajat it was. But the area residents had decided not to vote at all and zero votes were found from the polling station.

The petitioner had adopted before the court that under the ‘panchayat’ decision, area people were prevented from casting their votes depriving them from exercising their constitutional right.  Forwarding the petition to the ECP, the LHC disposed of the case.