PHC extends stay on oath of NA lawmakers on reserved seat

The Peshawar High Court extended the stay order until March 13, banning lawmakers from taking oath on reserved seats of the National Assembly.

On Thursday morning, the court commenced hearings on the Sunni Ittehad Council’s plea against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s ((ECP) refusal of reserved seats to the party, indicating the beginning of a serious legal deliberation.

A larger bench of five members, led by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, met to hear the SIC’s petition. Justices Ijaz Anwar, S.M. Attique Shah, Shakeel Ahmed, and Arshad Ali were also members of the larger bench.

READ MORE: ECP Rejects SIC plea, Reserved Seats Allocated to other political parties

The petitioner’s lawyers, the additional attorney general (AAG), and representatives from other parties were also present in court.

Before adjourning the hearing of the petition till March 13, the court also summoned the Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan to the next hearing.

Yesterday, the court issued a pre-admission notice to the ECP,  and the Speaker of the National Assembly and directed the ECP to submit its response in the case by today. It also halted the oath-taking of lawmakers until today (Thursday), referring the case to the chief justice PHC for the formation of a larger bench.

 Earlier in the Peshawar High Court, the Sunni Ittehad Council had filed a petition for reserved seats in the Assembly, in which the ECP was made a party.