LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday denied immediate relief to 43 MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) against a decision of the National Assembly speaker regarding acceptance of their resignations, however, issued notices to the respondents.

Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar appeared on behalf of the lawmakers and stated that the court had previously suspended a notification of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding acceptance of resignations. He pointed out that the court had not touched the decision of the National Assembly speaker as the same was not attached with the petition.

The counsel asked the court to also suspend the decision of the speaker saying the same had been attached with the matter.

Justice Shahid Karim, however, did not issue a stay order against the speaker’s decision and observed that the matter would be taken up on March 7 when the court is set to hear the main petition.

Riaz Khan Fatyana and 42 other MNAs had filed the petition challenging the decisions of the NA speaker and the ECP of accepting their en masse resignations.

The judge had on Feb 8 ordered that the notification of the ECP shall remain suspended and the election schedule for the seats shall not be announced by the ECP.

“The process of by-elections to these seats shall remain suspended,” the order reads. The judge had admitted the petition for regular hearing seeking replies from the NA speaker, the ECP and the federal government by March7.

OVERRULED: Justice Shahid Karim on Friday overruled an objection of the registrar office on a petition of 70 other former MNAs of the PTI challenging the acceptance of their resignations.

Former lawmakers filed the petition. The office objected to the maintainability of the petition for non-provision of necessary documents.

The judge overruled the objection and directed the office to fix the petition before an appropriate bench.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2023