The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday adjourned till tomorrow (Wednesday) hearing on pleas relating to inclusion of PTI-backed independents in the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and allotment of reserved seats.
A five-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard six petitions against the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the Election Commission.
The ECP clubbed all applications against the SIC.
Azam Nazir Tarar, Atta Tarar and others appeared on behalf of the PML-N petitioner, Barrister Gohar, Ali Zafar and Babar Awan appeared on behalf of PTI while Farooq H Naik and Farogh Naseem appeared on behalf of the MQM.
During the hearing, Barrister Gohar took the stance that they submitted declarations of 86 people but the Election Commission included 81 in the SIC.
Barrister Ali Zafar said that they wanted to get their reserved seats, if other political parties were also interested to get the seats, they should say it openly. The MQM, PML-N and PPP should submit claims for the reserved seats to ECP.
Member Election Commission said that Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had requested the ECP that these seats should not be given to SIC. PTI-backed lawyers objected to the petitions of the political parties.
Azam Nazir Tarar said the ECP should listen to all political parties winning seats in the national and provincial assemblies. “This is a constitutional and legal question which needs to be clarified,” he said.
Ali Zafar said no one had the right to snatch his seat. He said his application for reserved seats was also there. Barrister Gohar said, “Our application for reserved seats should also be fixed for hearing.”
The CEC said that the ECP had fixed applications for hearing. Azam Nazir Tarar said the SIC could not win even a single seat, how could a specific seat be given to some independent members in this party?
“They have joined a party that was rejected by the people, they did not submit an application for reserved seats first, the Sunni Ittehad Council is not a parliamentary party, how can they be given reserved seats?, said Tarar.
The CEC asked them to leave the matter to the Election Commission for decision.
Ali Zafar said, “We have not received the copy of the petitions, you give me the copy, I will submit the answer today.” Farooq H. Naik requested that the ECP should call and listen to all the parties.
Barrister Gohar said that they did not win a seat in Lahore and are asking for our seat, Azam Nazir Tarar replied to Barrister Gohar that you keep these things outside for the cameras.
The CEC said that Commission was fixing his request for hearing on Wednesday. The Commission directed to provide copies of all petitions to the SIC.
The CEC made it clear that the Commission will issue an order later today on the objections of the SIC. The Commission then postponed the hearing of the case till tomorrow.
Earlier on Monday, the ECP had decided to hear the matter of allocation of reserved seats to the SIC in the open court.
According to sources, an important meeting of the Commission was held on the issue of reserved seats of the SIC. A notice was issued to the head of the SIC. The ECP’s full bench had to hear the issue of such seats on Tuesday.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has once again demanded resignation of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja who, it alleged, failed to conduct free and fair polls.
