LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday issued notices to the federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan for August 30 on a petition challenging the Election (Second Amendment) Act 2024.

The court also directed the attorney general for Pakistan to assist the court on the matter on next hearing on August 30.

A bar member Azhar Siddique filed the petition alleging that the government introduced the impugned amendments in the law only to make July 12 judgment of the Supreme Court (SC) ineffective which recognized the PTI-backed independent returned candidates as the candidates of the PTI.

He argued that the SC July 12 judgment cannot be overruled or violated through an amendment in the law.

He asked the court to declare the Elections (second amendment) Act, 2024 as ultra vires of the Constitution and restrain the ECP from allocating reserved seats the National Assembly and provincial assembly of Punjab other than the PTI.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024