PTI challenges Election Amendment Act, 2022 in Supreme Court

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Monday challenged the Election Amendment Act, 2022 in the Supreme Court (SC).

Making the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) respondents, the party, in its petition, prayed to the court to declare the Act unconstitutional and hence null and void; order appropriate steps to give the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis since denying them the right was the violation of basic human rights, and order the ECP and NADRA to enforce the system of e-voting.

The party further argued that when the Election Amendment Act, 2021 already existed, it was illegal to replace it with another.   

On June 20, 2022, 24News had reported that President Arif Alvi had returned the Elections (Amendment) EVM/OP Bill, 2022 unsigned white citing reason that ‘Bill is anti-progress and regressive’.

In this regard, he referred to Article 75 (2) of Constitution of Pakistan which said “When the President has returned a Bill to the Majlis-e Shoora (Parliament), it shall be reconsidered by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting and, if it is again passed, with or without amendment, by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), by the votes of the majority of the members of both Houses present and voting, it shall be deemed for the purposes of the Constitution to have been passed by both Houses and shall be presented to the President, and the President shall give his assent within ten days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given.”