RAWALPINDI, Aug 9 The Lahore High Court asked the Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday to submit its reply to a petition seeking deferment of a final notification about the winner of a by-election held in Sargodha for the NA-68 seat on August 5.

Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Tariq of the court's Rawalpindi bench issued notices to the ECP secretary on an application filed by Syed Nusrat Ali Shah, a former MNA from Sargodha, and adjourned hearing till Aug 16.

Nusrat Shah requested the court to direct the ECP not to issue the final notification about the success of Shafqat Husain Baloch of the Pakistan Muslim League-N till his earlier petition challenging the current status of the commission was decided by the LHC.

The petitioner's lawyer Manzoor Hussain Malik argued that the ECP could not conduct elections after the adoption of the 18th Amendment by parliament.