ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday issued a notice to the ruling PML-N, seeking its response until September 13 to the objections raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Niaz Inqalabi, a member of the Islamabad Bar Association.
The three petitioners argued that Nawaz Sharif has been overseeing the party affairs despite being disqualified by the Supreme Court, adding that the PML-N cannot carry the name of Nawaz following the Panama Papers case judgement.
Dr Babar Awan, counsel for PTI’s Yasmeen Rashid, contended that the PML-N was also violating the Political Parties Order (PPO) as there is no provision of acting president in the order. The ECP clubbed all the three applications and issued a notice to PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, directing him to submit his reply by September 13.
Separately, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on non-persecution.
A five-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza Khan heard a reference filed by Hashim Bhutta seeking Kaptaan’s disqualification for collecting funds for party through ‘prohibited sources’.
When the ECP bench resumed the hearing, the applicant or his counsel did not appear before the bench.
Upon this the ECP dismissed the petition for non-persecution.
Published in Daily Times, August 22nd 2017.
