Web Desk
The Lahore High Court has accepted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) request and has directed the Election Commission to provide the date of elections in Punjab.
The Lahore High Court has ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct elections in Punjab within 90 days. In a reserved judgment, the court accepted the request of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf for an early date for holding elections in the province.
The Election Commission has been given a clear deadline of 90 days, giving the people of Punjab an opportunity to voice their opinion and choose their representatives.
The Lahore High Court, under the guidance of Justice Jawad Hassan, has written a decision to set the date and schedule of the Punjab election. The written decision will be available on the Lahore High Court’s website. In response to this decision, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry spoke on the private TV channel ARY and stated that the court had asked the Election Commission to release the date and schedule of the election by the day after tomorrow.
Fawad Chaudhry has been clear since day one: imposing martial law is not an option, and there is no scope to postpone elections. Today, the Lahore High Court has confirmed this stance, which is in line with the Constitution’s requirement for the Governor to set the election date.
Fawad Chaudhry had strong words for the government, accusing them of playing with the Constitution.
At the Lahore High Court, a hearing was held on the petition to hold elections in Punjab. In the courtroom were PTI leaders Asad Umar, Shahbaz Gill, Fawad Chaudhry, Sabatin Khan, and Aslam Iqbal. In the reply submitted by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman, it was stated that it is the Governor’s constitutional responsibility to give the election date when the Assembly is dissolved and that the Governor has not obstructed the Election Commission’s authority.
In his reply to the petition, the Governor of Punjab requested that it be dismissed with a penalty and added that the petitioner was not the affected party. By the Constitution and law, the Governor is performing his duties. Justice Jawad Hasan remarked that logic must be considered before deciding whether to bring in a larger bench. The Election Commission’s counsel requested time to submit a reply to the court.
The lawyer representing the Election Commission recently informed the court that he had only been appointed the day before and had not seen the court orders prepared to respond. Justice Jawad Hassan noted that legal precedents require an election to be conducted within 90 days. The lawyer for the Election Commission clarified that while they are responsible for conducting the election, the governor must set the date of the by-election. At the same time, the Election Commission must determine the date of a general election.
