ECP objects to ex-judge Mansoor Ali Shah's remarks on PTI reserved seats
The Election Commission of Pakistan has objected to remarks by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Mansoor Ali Shah on the PTI reserved seats case. It said his account of the judicial record was selective.
- ECP objected on Wednesday to remarks by Justice (retd) Mansoor Ali Shah.
- Shah spoke at an October 29 event of a US-based group.
- ECP said symbol allocation depends on transparent intra-party elections.
- ECP said PTI had not submitted a list of preferred candidates.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday objected to remarks by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Mansoor Ali Shah about the reserved seats case involving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
According to The Express Tribune, Shah made the remarks at an event on October 29 organised by a US-based group, the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice. Daily Times reported that he also spoke about polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
Shah defended the Supreme Court's 2024 reserved seats verdict, which made PTI eligible for women and minority reserved seats. He said PTI is a political party and that taking away its election symbol was wrong and illegal. The Express Tribune also attributed to him the words "nobody liked".
An ECP spokesperson, quoted by Daily Pakistan, called his position contrary to constitutional and legal facts. The spokesperson said it was inappropriate to present the court record through an incomplete context and one-sided interpretations. The Express Tribune said the ECP described his reading of the judicial record as selective.
On the election symbol, the ECP said allocation depends on holding transparent intra-party elections under Sections 208 and 209 of the Elections Act 2017. It said PTI held intra-party elections after five years, but the proceedings remain pending because the party obtained a stay order from a high court.
The commission said PTI remains enlisted as a political party in its records. It also said only parties that contested the general elections are eligible for reserved seats.
The ECP added that parties must submit lists of preferred candidates before elections, and that PTI had not submitted such a list.
Background
khabr.pk reported on 5 November that the ECP had reserved its decision on a Punjab government request to hold local government elections after January 20.
Why it matters
The ECP's reading of the rules on election symbols and reserved seats affects how parties prepare for elections in Pakistan. Parties must hold intra-party elections and submit candidate lists before polls, according to the commission. Voters and party members in PTI's case are directly affected by how these rules are applied.
