‘QUEST FOR RESERVED SEATS HITS A SNAG’ AS PHC DISMISSES SIC PETITIONS In partnership with
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g FIVE-MEMBER BENCH LED BY JUSTICE ISHTIAQ IBRAHIM BARRISTER ALI ZAFAR ARGUES SIC BE GIVEN RESERVED SEATS UNDER ARTICLE 103 SECTION C GIVES A UNANIMOUS DECISION ON PETITIONS
PTI to challenge PHC decision
PESHAWAR
STAFF REPORT
HE Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday dismissed petitions of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to reject the party allocation of reserved women and minority seats. A five-member PHC bench led by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and comprising Justices Ijaz Anwar, SM Attique Shah, Shakeel Ahmed and Syed Arshad Ali given unanimous decision on the petition as Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim read the reserved verdict. Earlier, the high court reserved its decision after the lawyers’ concluded arguments in the case. Barrister Ali Zafar during the hearing came to rostrum and apologized over being absent in the hearing yesterday. He said that the PTI’s election symbol ‘bat’ was taken before the election and the candidates have to contest the election as independent. Yesterday, Attorney-General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan and the counsels for the PPP and ECP had completed their arguments. AGP Awan had argued that a political party could get reserved seats only if it won a general one. ECP lawyer Sikander Basheer Momand had supported his arguments, stating that the SIC
was a political party but not a parliamentary one. Earlier this month in a 4-1 verdict, the electoral watchdog ruled that the SIC was not entitled to claim quota for reserved seats “due to having non curable legal defects and violation of a mandatory provision of submission of party list for reserved seats which is the requirement of law”. The SIC — joined by PTI-backed independents who won the elections sans their electoral symbol — had filed the petition through its chairman, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, seek-
ISLAMABAD: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Thursday announced that his party will challenge the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision regarding reserved seats in the Supreme Court. Earlier in the day, PHC dismissed the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to allocate reserved seats for women and minorities in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures meant for it to other parties. In a 4-1 majority verdict, the ECP, on March 4, dashed the PTI-backed SIC’s hopes for a seat quota, citing “non-curable legal defects” and a violation of mandatory provisions in submitting party lists for reserved seats.
ing directives of the court for the ECP to allocate reserved seats to the council based on their strength in the national and provincial assemblies. The commission had also decided to distribute the seats among other parliamentary parties, with the PML-N and the PPP becoming major beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the verdict was rejected by the PTI as unconstitutional.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Gohar stated that they would challenge the PHC’s decision in the Supreme Court, urging for a larger bench to hear the case promptly. He stated that consultations had taken place with the founding PTI chairman Imran Khan regarding the Senate elections, and the announcement of candidates’ names would be made either today or tomorrow. He alleged ongoing attempts to manipulate their candidates’ positions in the recounting process, calling upon the judiciary to intervene and prevent such actions. He added that PTI would hold a large gathering on March 23 and reiterated their stance against accepting a victory of his opponents based on Form-47s, which, according to him, was fabricated STAFF REPORT
On March 6, a two-member bench of the PHC had barred the oath-taking of lawmakers allotted the reserved seats. It issued a pre-admission to the ECP and all the respondents in the case, listing six questions that needed to be determined. The next day, a five-member larger bench extended the bar until March 13.
PM reviews five-year roadmap for economic progress ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting on a five-year roadmap for economic progress of the country. The five-year roadmap focused on decrease in inflation, poverty alleviation, and provision of employment. The prime minister said consultation should be held on this plan with all stakeholders of different sectors of the economy. Without wasting any time, implementation of projects for the economic stability and progress of the country should be ensured, he added. The prime minister said a schedule of implementation for the projects should be presented, adding steps should be taken on priority basis to speed up progress in the sectors of agriculture, livestock, information technology, foreign investment and small and medium industries.
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He said the government would reduce its expenditure and he would not allow further waste of money of poor people. He said in the next five years, the country's economy would be stabilized to put the country on the path of progress. The PM said tax revenue would be increased with digitalization and technology, while the per acre yield in the agriculture sector would also be increased with the use of technology. The loss-making government institutions would be privatized on priority basis, he added. The meeting was informed in detail about the roadmap for economic progress and about proposed measures in important sectors including electricity, agriculture, livestock, exports, small and medium enterprises, taxes, information technology, small and medium enterprises, investment, and privatization. Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Jehanzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema, Dr Musadiq Malik, Minister of State Shiza Fatima Khawaja, Jehanzeb Khan and high-ranking officers attended the meeting.
PPP grabs four out of six Senate seats in by-elections ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) grabbed four out of six Senate seats during by-elections held here on Thursday. In the National Assembly hall, polling was held on one vacant seat of the Senate from Islamabad. PPP candidate Yousaf Raza Gilani was declared winner with 204 votes, while Sunni Ittehad Council’s candidate Chaudhary Ilyas Mehrban remained runner-up with 88 votes. In Sindh Assembly, PPP candidates Jam Saifullah Dharijo and Aslam Abro were declared winners with 58 and 57 votes, respectively. SIC’s Nazirullah and Shazia Sohail secured 4 votes each. A total of 124 Sindh MPAs, including 116 of PPP and eight of SIC took part in the polling. Both the seats had fallen vacant due to the resignation of Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Jam
Mehtab Dahar of the Pakistan People’s Party. In Balochistan, Pakistan People’s Party’s Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo was declared winner with 23 votes, while JUI-F’s Abdul Shakoor Khan Ghaibai and PML-N’s Mir Dostain Domki were also declared the winners on the Senate’s vacant seats. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) decided to stay away from the Senate by-elections, while Jamaat-eIslami (JI) also boycotted the process. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) found itself on the sidelines, once again grappling with the loss of its electoral symbol in the parliamentary realm. As per the dictates of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), only parties with electoral symbols are eligible to partake in the Senate polls, adhering to the same rules governing general elections. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had declared that a poll will be held on April 2
to fill 48 vacant seats in the Senate. ‘Schedule for elections on 48 vacant seats of the Senate’ Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued schedule for elections on forty-eight vacant seats of the Senate. According to the schedule, polling will be held on the second of next month (April) from 9am to 4pm. The candidates can file their nomination papers with the returning officers from Friday (tomorrow) till Saturday. Whereas March 19, has been fixed for the scrutiny of nomination papers. A revised list of the candidates will be issued on the March 26 whilst the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers by the 27th of this month. In the federal capital, members of the National Assembly will elect members of the Senate against one general seat and one seat for technocrats including Ulema. Members of the four provincial assemblies
will elect Senators for seven general seats, two women seats, and two seats for technocrats including Ulema from each province, as well as one seat for non-Muslims from both Punjab and Sindh provinces. These seats became vacant after expiration of the term of the incumbent members on the 11th of this month. It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that polling for 48 Senate seats will be held on the second of the next month (April). The electoral watchdog said that election will not be carried out on four seats reserved for the erstwhile tribal areas. “These seats have been abolished after the merger of tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under the 25th Amendment of the Constitution,” read the statement. According to the ECP, the Senate polls will be carried out on seven general seats, two women seats, two technocrat seats and one minority seat in Punjab.
IHC orders Adiala Jail admin to facilitate Imran’s meeting with his counsels ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Adiala Jail Superintendent to allow four PTI lawyers to meet party founder Imran Khan at the jail. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir passed the order while hearing the petition against the twoweek ban on meetings with Adiala inmates including Imran, where the jail superintendent informed the court about receiving several requests for meetings with the former premier. He added that they had orders to allow six people apart from the lawyers to meet Imran and said it was impossible for them to allow six people daily in a jail that houses seven thousand prisoners. Justice Tahir, expressing his displeasure, said the jail superintendent had been giving new excuses during every hearing. “If you do not follow court orders, why should we not initiate contempt proceedings against you?” In response, the jail official informed the judge that he “does follow court orders” and showed the notification by the Punjab Home Department. “We had allowed the (PTI counsels) to meet on your terms and we already have contempt pleas pending against you,” replied the judge.