LHC suspends ECP’s de-notification of PTI MNAs

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday stayed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to de-notify the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s elected MPs from Punjab who had resigned in April of the previous year.

The National Assembly Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and other parties were given notices to respond by March 7 after a single-member LHC bench led by Judge Shahid Karim heard the PTI’s appeal today.

After the high court suspended a similar ruling of the ECP regarding 43 PTI MNAs the legislators went to the high court to challenge the commission’s acceptance of their resignation and ensuing de-notification.

Shiekh Rasheed was among the 35 MNAs and 34 PTI legislators whose resignations the Speaker accepted on January 17 and 20. The resignations were afterwards de-notified by the ECP and by-elections were announced.

Riaz Fatyana and 42 other MNAs whose resignations were accepted submitted a petition earlier this month questioning the actions of the NA speaker and ECP. The LHC judge had ruled on February 8 that the ECP’s notice would stay suspended and that it would not release the poll calendar for the seats.