Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to notify PTI’s lawmakers on five reserved seats. Twenty-five seats had fallen vacant after the de-notification of PTI members who voted Hamza Shehbaz against party directives in the election of the chief minister of Punjab.
The verdict was announced by Justice Shahid Waheed, who ruled over the petition that was filed by the PTI against ECP.
The PTI had approached the LHC against the decision of the ECP that stalled the notification of five lawmakers on reserved seats, arguing that the notification would be issued after by-polls were conducted first on the twenty general seats on July 17.
Read: LHC gives ECP till June 2 to decide on Punjab’s reserved seats
However, on Monday the LHC announced its verdict in favour of the PTI’s plea. After this development, the five reserved seats will be allocated to the PTI, which will increase their number in the provincial legislature.
It is pertinent to mention that 25 seats had fallen vacant after the ECP had denotified PTI dissident lawmakers for voting Hamza Shehbaz against party directives. The ECP’s decision to de-seat dissident lawmakers came after the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced that the votes of a party’s turncoats would not be counted.
PTI cheers the verdict
After the verdict, PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Hamza Shahbaz has lost the majority” in the provincial assembly. He also criticized the ECP and said that hardly any decision of the Election Commission was upheld in the high courts.
لاہور ہائیکورٹ نے بلآخر الیکشن کمیشن کے پانچ نشستوں پر نوٹیفیکیشن روکنے کا عمل غیر آئینی قرار دے دیا اب تک شائد ہی الیکشن کمیشن کا کوئ فیصلہ اعلیٰ عدالتوں میں برقرار رہا ہو ان فیصلوں سےتحریک انصاف کا الیکشن کمیشن پر عدم اعتماد درست ثابت ہوتا ہے،اب حمزہ شہباز اکثریت کھو چکے ہیں https://t.co/f2HvO8gjZx
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) June 27, 2022
In another tweet, former minister and PTI secretary-general Asad Umar said that the High Court “quashed the Election Commission’s attempt to draft a new constitution”.
ہائی کورٹ نے الیکشن کمیشن کی ایک نیا آئین بنانے کی کوشش کو کالعدم قرار دے دیا. پنجاب کی 5 ریزرو سیٹس پر لوٹوں کی جگہ تحریک انصاف کے نامزد امیدواروں کو نوٹیفی کرنے کا حکم جاری کر دیا. پنجاب کی جعلی حکومت کے دن پورے ہونے جا رہے ہیں #نااہل_کرپٹ_غلام_حکومت
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) June 27, 2022
