{"id":33118,"date":"2023-12-08T22:03:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T22:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/pleas-against-disqualification-intra-party-polls-sent-to-lhc-cj-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-12-08T22:03:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T22:03:26","slug":"pleas-against-disqualification-intra-party-polls-sent-to-lhc-cj-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/pleas-against-disqualification-intra-party-polls-sent-to-lhc-cj-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Pleas against disqualification, intra-party polls sent to LHC CJ | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nLAHORE:
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Lahore High Court’s (LHC)\u00a0Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on Friday forwarded two petitions of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to Chief Justice\u00a0Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, proposing to place them before a five-member bench hearing similar cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The party had filed two petitions – one challenging the\u00a0Election Commission of Pakistan\u2019s (ECP) notification to disqualify Imran Khan and the other about directions given to PTI to hold intra-party elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proceedings today were held in the judge’s chamber and\u00a0PTI\u2019s counsel\u00a0Syed Ali Zafar\u00a0was informed that these petitions are being sent to the chief justice.<\/p>\n

Plea on disqualification<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imran, through his counsel, filed a petition in the provincial high court on December 7 challenging the ECP’s notification, issued on August 8, disqualifying him for five years and identifying him as a candidate from NA-45 Kurram-I for not declaring gifts taken from the Toshakhana in his statement of assets and liabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read <\/strong>Imran challenges ECP\u2019s disqualification ruling in LHC<\/a><\/p>\n

Imran contended that recent amendments to the Elections Act 2017 limit the ECP’s jurisdiction in deciding the qualification or disqualification of a member based on a court conviction.<\/p>\n

In the petition, the PTI chief urged the court to set aside the ECP’s notification and\u00a0further requested to suspend the operation of the notification until the final disposal of the petition.<\/p>\n

Plea on intra-party elections<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second plea pertains to Imran and General Secretary Omar Ayub Khan challenging ECP’s notification issued on November 23\u00a0which directed the party to hold intra-party elections. The petition was also filed on December 7.<\/p>\n

The petitioners requested the court to not only set aside ECP\u2019s order but also declare valid the party elections the PTI earlier held on June 10, 2022.<\/p>\n

Read <\/strong>IHC rejects Imran’s plea to withdraw appeal against disqualification in Toshakhana case<\/a><\/p>\n

The court was also urged to suspend the operation of ECP\u2019s order and restrain ECP from passing any further adverse order until the disposal of the petition.<\/p>\n

The petition further states that there are hundreds of political parties registered with the ECP, yet it has never questioned them regarding conducting intra-party elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ECP does not have any such jurisdiction under the law, it added. Moreover, it stated that the electoral body has picked only the case of PTI in a discriminatory and illegal manner and decided to review the intra-party polls of PTI, “almost as if it were a trial court”.<\/p>\n

The impugned order is contrary to Articles 4, 9, 10A, 16, 17, 25, and 26 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973,\u00a0the petition added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n