Islamabad:
Friday, the High Court of Islamabad (IHC) raised the suspension order which had interrupted the electoral commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the alleged rigging in the NA-18 Haripur, ordering the electoral organization to continue the case after hearing all the parties concerned.
Announcing the reserved verdict, the acting chief judge, Sarfraz Dogar, rejected the petition filed by the chief of opposition to the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, who had sought to block the ECP investigation into alleged irregularities.
The stay now released, the IHC asked the ECP to hear the two parties and make a decision in accordance with the law.
Omar Ayub had challenged the ECP procedure concerning the clamping allegations in his constituency and had obtained a suspension order against the investigation. Former CJ Aamir Farooq had made a suspension order on the action of the ECP.
During the last hearing, Omar Ayub’s lawyer said that the ECP should decide the petition within 60 days, adding that after 60 days, the commission procedure is illegal.
Omar Ayub had won the elections with a huge margin, he said, adding that the opposing candidate also accepted Omar Ayub’s victory and even tweeted on this subject.
The ECP lawyer informed the court that it was Omar Ayub who had initially filed a complaint concerning the rigging day.
Later in the evening, when Ayub was declared a winner, the opposing candidate also filed a rigging complaint. While the Commission began the procedure on the two petitions, Ayub approached the high court by a brief request.
The lawyer argued that the Commission had not yet issued measures or an official order and asked the court to reject the request. After hearing the arguments on both sides, the court reserved its verdict on the plea of Ayub.
