ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) appeal on Monday to delay the upcoming elections for the positions of Senate chairman and deputy chairman.
Consequently, the PTI has opted to abstain from participating in the elections.
Earlier today, five PTI senators lodged a petition alleging that the current electoral college lacked completeness, rendering it ‘unconstitutional’, as Senate polls weren’t conducted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The party urged the court to postpone the elections for chairman and deputy chairman until the Senate seats from K-P were filled.
During the hearing today, PTI’s counsel Shoaib Shaheen suggested holding the elections after Eid, questioning the necessity of conducting them beforehand.
However, shortly after reserving judgment, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq dismissed the plea. The court subsequently summoned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to respond to the petition.
PTI’s request
PTI sought the court’s intervention to delay the elections for chairman and deputy chairman until the Senate seats from K-P were filled. However, objections were raised by the registrar’s office.
“The matter of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Senate seats is currently being heard in the Peshawar High Court (PHC),” the registrar’s office noted.
“For the K-P Senate seats election, the PHC should be approached,” the registrar stated.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
