Peshawar/LAHORE: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday extended the stay order on the swearing-in ceremony of legislators notified of reserved seats denied to the Tehreek-e-Insafe (PTI)-backed Pakistan Sunni Council Ittehad (PTI) till March 13.
The court’s order came while hearing the SIC’s proposal for allotment of reserved seats.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case to the above date and also summoned the Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan to appear before the court for further hearing.
A day earlier, the PHC banned the swearing-in of legislators notified at the aforementioned reserved seats, preventing the members from taking oath and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit its reply in the said matter by today.
The directions were issued during today’s hearing presided over by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmad. The court issued a stay order preventing the members from taking oath and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit its reply in the matter by Thursday.
The development came as the party announced it would challenge the election body’s verdict, issued on Monday, rejecting the request of the SIC – joined by PTI-backed independent candidates – for allotment of reserved seats.
A five-judge larger bench headed by Justice Ibrahim and comprising Justice Ejaz Anwar, Justice Atiq Shah, Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Arshad Ali conducted the hearing of the plea today.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Additional Attorney General Sanaullah Khan and lawyers for other parties in the case also appeared in the court.
At today’s hearing, the court ordered that AGP appear in court in person.
“The Attorney General has been contacted, he is at the Supreme Court today,” Khan said.
Justice Ibrahim noted that the court had convened the AGP.
The AAG, in its reply to the court, said that it also takes time to prepare a case.
Meanwhile, Qazi Anwar Advocate said that the new Advocate General will be appointed today and then he will appear in the case.
“Here is a question about the stay order while the presidential election is held on March 9,” said another lawyer, Qazi Jawwad.
On the other hand, PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan informed the court about the progress of the presidential election and that the PTI-backed SIC, which has 93 seats in the National Assembly, has not yet received its reserved seats.
“One assemblyman in the province has two seats reserved. The Election Commission has gifted reserved seats to these parties,” Awan lamented during his arguments in court.
