A full bench of the Supreme Court Pakistan dismissed a review petition against Article 202 of the Election Act 2017, which requires political parties to pay Rs 200,000 for enlistment to participate in elections. Pakistan Millat Party through its secretary general Advocate Sheikh Mushtaq Ali had filed the review petition.
He argued that the impugned article of the Election Act 2017 was in sheer violation of Article 17 (2) of the Constitution, which protects freedom of association. The lawyer pointed out that the apex court 1988 had set aside similar condition.
He said the new law, if not declared void, would oust poor people of the country from the politic. Under the article 202 of the Election Act 2017 if any political party fails to pay Rs 200,000 it becomes ineligible to participate in the polls.