Court reserves judgement on Sheikh Rasheed NA-60 poll delay petition

The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday reserved its judgement on a petition filed by Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rasheed challenging the postponement of polling in NA-60.

The decision is expected to be announced later today.

Rasheed had earlier filed a petition challenging the postponement of polling in NA-60, reported Express News.
The petition named the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the returning officer of the constituency as respondents.

The electoral body issued the notification of postponement after PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Referring to the suspension as “illegal, unwarranted and unconstitutional”, the petition added that polls in a constituency can only be postponed in the event of a candidate’s death.

Citing the example of Maryam Nawaz and her husband Safdar, the AML president stated that polling in the constituencies has not been postponed as the candidates were sentenced by law, hence, the election in NA-60 should not be suspended either.

Rasheed further added in the petition, drawn and submitted by him, that ECP’s notification needs should be suspended, otherwise “the whole constituency will suffer irreparable loss”.

An anti-narcotics court on Saturday handed down life imprisonment to Abbasi in the eight-year-old ephedrine case. Following the decision, the ECP postponed polling in NA-60, Rawalpindi.

Source: Express Tribune