Islamabad:
The Election Commission in Pakistan (ECP) rejected on Saturday what it called “groundless propaganda”, which was circulated in certain media circles in response to renewed criticism following the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench’s decision on reserved seats.
The criticism arose after the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench rejected Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI)-Vended Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) review of the petition regarding the allocation of reserved seats.
This decision enabled the ruling coalition, led by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), to emerge as the largest party and to consolidate a two-third majority in the National Assembly.
In the midst of changing political dynamics, the ECP has repeated its constitutional role and defense the legality of its decisions and said that the claims were in violation of the facts and intended to mislead the public.
In a statement, a spokesman for ECP said some circles in the media were involved in groundless propaganda against the Commission after the recent decision of the supreme court. The spokesman said the Commission declares that this propaganda is in violation of facts and based on untruths.
The declaration said such elements were unjustly targeting the Commission with criticism. It added that historical facts and several decisions made by superior judiciary provide undeniable evidence that the Commission has always performed its duties in the light of the Constitution and the law. “The Supreme Court has repeatedly maintained the position of the Electoral Commission,” it says.
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In the Senate election, for example, the spokesman said that the Commission’s attitude towards a secret vote and show of hands-on procedures fully in accordance with Article 226 of the Constitution was maintained by a Supreme Court bench led by the then ex-CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
In the event of a disqualification election in Daska, the official added, the Commission’s decision was not only declared valid by the Supreme Court bench, led by the then Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, but also recognized as a constitutional act.
The Supreme Court bench led by the then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa had also approved the legal interpretation of the Commission regarding PTI’s elections in the intra party, maintained the statement.
It is also said, in the event of delisting All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), as the Commission delisted the APML for not having made election of election, and this decision was contested by the APML in the Supreme Court, as the Court of Court maintained the Commission’s decision.
After that, the spokesman said, the Commission said several other parties who did not comply with the law and kept the Supreme Court’s decision in mind. The Supreme Court also accepted the Commission’s Appeal on Punjab Election Tribunals and rejected Lahore High Court’s decision and maintained the Commission’s position.
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Similarly, it was maintained in the recent case regarding reserved seats from Sunni Intehad Council, first Peshawar High Court and now the SC Constitution Bench has maintained the Commission’s position as constitutional and legally.
“All of these and many other court decisions are undeniable evidence that the Election Commission does not change its decisions due to political pressure, public clamor or for cheap popularity,” the spokesman said, adding ECP rather its duties based solely on constitutional requirements, legal jurisdiction and evidence.
The ECP said it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Commission is a constitutional institution that is not intimidated by the unscrupulous tactics of any political party or interested interest group. Therefore, it concluded that it is in no way appropriate to keep the Commission responsible for deficiencies and weaknesses.
