F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: A contempt petition was moved in the Supreme Court on Monday against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not implementing the apex court’s order on the reserved seats.
The contempt petition was filed by senior lawyer and PTI leader Salman Akram Raja.
The members of ECP were made respondents in the contempt petition.
The PTI’s lawyers prayed before the court to direct the ECP to implement the order on reserved seats. The lawyer also requested the court to start the contempt proceedings against the ECP.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had declared the ECP plea seeking clarity on reserved seats’ ruling a ruse to delay implementation.
The court also ordered the election watchdog to implement the initial verdict in letter and spirit to avoid repercussions.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah issued the four-page detailed judgement on the ECP petition, seeking clarity on SC’s earlier verdict on the reserved seats.
A 13-judge full bench of Supreme Court on July 12 last had declared that the PTI was eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims both in the National as well as provincial assemblies.
The apex court, in its majority 8-5 decision, announced that the conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding reserved seats was unconstitutional.
The July 12 verdict was a major setback for the ruling coalition and made the PTI the single largest party in both houses of parliament.