The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday dismissed three petitions, seeking delay in general election 2018 scheduled for July 25. Chief Election Commissioner former Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan along with other members of the Commission heard the petitions and reserved the verdict on them. After a while, he announced to dismiss all the three petitions seeking delay in the polls.
Kamran Murtaza, counsel of the petitioners, said during the hearing that they do not want a delay in the election but want the Election Commission to hold the election across the country including the tribal areas on the same day.
"The reason for election to be held countrywide on the same day is to ensure that nobody is neglected and that elections are not influenced by the ruling party as seen in the by-election," Murtaza added. He said that it is the constitutional right of the people of the tribal areas, previously known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), to vote for their candidates in the general election.
The chief election commissioner remarked that fresh delimitation of constituencies has been done in the tribal areas for the seats of National Assembly as per provisional results of the census. He said that it requires a fresh delimitation process for the seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from the tribal areas. "We made one committee for the delimitation of constituencies in the FATA and Islamabad," the chief election commissioner said. The ECP member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa former Justice Irshad Qaiser said, "Elections will be held in FATA on the National Assembly seats only."
After hearing the arguments, the ECP dismissed all three petitions calling for delay in the general election.
Muttahida Qabail Party, a political party from the tribal areas, has been demanding elections on the provincial assembly seats in the tribal areas along with the National Assembly seats on July 25.
Scores of tribal people have also been staging a sit-in in front of the National Press Club in Islamabad for the last one week, demanding the Election Commission and interim government that elections on the KP Assembly seats should also be announced in the tribal areas.
They have also threatened to stage a sit-in in front of the Prime Minister House if their demand is not met.
Habib Noor, one of the tribal elders addressing a press conference here on Sunday last said that they have been protesting peacefully for their constitutional right but nobody from the government has contacted them so far.
Comments
Comments are closed.