ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shoaib Shaheen advocate contesting elections from the federal capital, Thursday, approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requesting to restrain the police from harassing, threatening, and abducting his supporters and workers.
He also prayed to the court to allow them holding a workers’ convention besides access to all voters at par with all other candidates, to provide a level playing field to the petitioner for the purpose of free, fair, and transparent election, in the interest of justice.
Shaheen moved the petition through his counsel Muhammad Umair Baloch advocate and cited the Federation of Pakistan through the secretary Ministry of Interior, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) through its secretary, the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Islamabad, and Islamabad City Police through its SSP as respondents.
He stated in his petition that the petitioner invokes the constitutional jurisdiction of this court to ensure free and fair election in the country and also challenge the impugned act of the respondents No2 and 3, for not providing a level playing field and harassing, threatening and abducting the PTI’s workers and leaders.
He adopted the stance that the election is the process in which the members of a particular community or nation are voting and choosing their leaders and that is how elections are being defined in a democratic society. He added that when it comes to democracy, elections should be free and fair to ensure that the leaders are acceptable to all members of society. Therefore, freedom to participate in the election process is one of the essential elements to conduct a free and fair election.
Petitioner c said that furthermore, “when it comes to free and fair elections, then the body who is conducting the election must be impartial, transparent and capable of enforcing the elector rulers especially the elector code of conduct. The election body should ensure that all contestants or candidates offering themselves for election should have equal opportunities.”
He continued that it is the constitutional responsibility of the ECP under Article 218(3) and Article 220 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to hold/ conduct free, fair and transparent election and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly fairly and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against, but the respondents are not treating petitioner at par qua other candidates.
The petitioner said that the respondents instead of providing a level playing field at par qua other political parties by ensuring free and fair elections in the country, started harassing, threatening, and abducting the PTI’s workers and leaders.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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