The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday filed an intra-court appeal against the verdict of a single bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) directing the poll body to immediately announce dates for elections of the Punjab Assembly. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Punjab Governor Balighur Rahman have been named as respondents in the appeal filed by ECP Secretary Omer Hamid Khan through advocate Shezada Mazhar. In its appeal, the ECP has maintained that it has no constitutional authority to announce the date for elections. It is pertinent to note that On February 11, a single bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) had directed the ECP to immediately announce the date of elections in Punjab with a notification specifying reason, after consultations with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman – being constitutional Head of the Province, to ensure that elections are not held not later than 90 days as outlined in the Constitution.
In its appeal, the ECP argued that the appellant felt aggrieved by the order passed by the single judge of LHC in chamber based on misinterpretation of the Constitutional provisions. It noted that the relevant law and the dictum was passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in its judgment on February 10. The top electoral body of the country said that the single bench in its verdict had failed to consider that the constitutional provisions read with the provisions of the Election Act does not, in any manner, place the responsibility for the pronouncement of the date of elections on appellant in any manner, whatsoever, rather the clear-cut initiation of the preparation, organization and holding of elections commences pursuant to the pronouncement of the date of elections by the respective head of the province/state as case, maybe.
