By Irum Saleem
Now the cat is out of the bag. PMLN government is desperate to get passed constitutional package before CJP Qazi Faiz Isa retires on Oct 25.
In a new game, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday
wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying the Supreme Court’s judgment on reserved seats “cannot be implemented under the Amended Election Act, 2017.”
What a move seems to be played from some where else…isn’t it.
In July, the SC declared Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) eligible for seats reserved for women and minorities, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.
PTI-backed candidates, who had contested and won the February 8 elections as independents after their party was stripped of its election symbol, had joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to form a coalition of convenience.
The ECP had raised concerns about who in the PTI should be contacted for verification, given the party’s lack of structure and unrecognised intra-party elections, suggesting that the election regulator might need to seek further directions from the court.
Last week, however, the SC rebuked the misconceived request by the ECP seeking clarification regarding its verdict and ordered the “immediate implementation” of its original directions.
On the other hand, the ECP remained undecided on the implementation of SC’s verdict and held a meeting to deliberate on the apex court’s judgment and its September 14 order in response to the clarification sought by the commission.
The NA speaker says “The Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan… has directed the [ECP]… to allow independent returned candidates to join another political party months after already joining a political party as a result of the General Elections 2024”.
The letter says that in the context of the Amended Election Act, which was passed after the SC verdict, the ruling on reserved seats cannot be implemented under the new law.
“As the Judgement of the SC was rendered based on the law prior to the enactment of the amendment, the said judgment is now incapable of implementation.”
It says the amended act would “supersede” the SC’s ruling and that the apex court recognised this decision. It also stated that the ECP had a “statutory obligation” to honour laws enacted by parliament.
It seems all is set to get approved the controversial Constitutional Package and for that the government doesn’t seem to honour the apex court decisions. PAK DESTINY
