ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s legal team on Friday advised to restore the lawmakers who were suspended after the Supreme Court (SC)’s landmark verdict on the reserved seats.

According to sources, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja headed a two-day long meeting with legal team that concluded to implement the commission’s decision after the Elections Act as every institution is bound to do so.

Sources revealed that the legal team told the ECP after the Election Act amendment, the Supreme Court’s reserved seats verdict stands ineffective, hereby; the suspended lawmakers shall be restored.

The electoral body met to take a final decision on the letters of the National and Punjab Assemblies Speakers regarding the reserved seats.

An ECP meeting was earlier held on Thursday. The forum took up the Speakers’ letters, and received briefing from the commission’s legal team on the reserved seats. However, the meeting could not take final decision and decided to meet again (Friday).

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq last month had written a letter to the chief election commissioner, conveying him that the Supreme Court ruling in the reserved seats case could not be implemented following the passage of the Election (Second Amendment) Act 2024.

The letter apprised the CEC that following the passage of Elections (Second Amendment) Act 2024, the independent candidates, who had already joined a political party, could not be allowed to switch to another party.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had also written a letter, asking the ECP to fully implement the provisions of Amended Election Act without delay.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024