LHC suspends ECP order denotifying PTI’s Punjab MPs

A single-member bench of the LHC headed by Justice Shahid Karim heard the PTI plea today and issued the notices to the ECP and National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and others, directing them to submit their responses by March 7.

After the high court suspended a similar order of the ECP regarding 43 PTI MNAs, the lawmakers went to the high court to challenge the commission’s acceptance of their resignation and ensuing denotification. Shiekh Rashid, an ally of Imran Khan, was among the 35 MNAs whose resignation Speaker Ashraf accepted on January 20. The resignations were later denotified by the commission and by-elections were announced.

Riaz Fatyana and 42 additional MNAs who had their resignations “accepted by the NA Speaker Ashraf on January 22″ had earlier this month submitted a petition contesting the actions of the NA speaker and the ECP. On February 8, the LHC judge issued an order suspending the ECP’s notification and prohibiting it from announcing the dates of the seats’ elections. The court order states that “the by-election process shall remain suspended” for these seats. By March 7, the court had accepted the request for a regular hearing in which it sought responses from the NA speaker, the ECP, and the federal government.