ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court on Monday rejected a petition of Awami Muslim League president Sheikh Rashid Ahmed against the postponement of election in NA-60.

Justice Mujahid Mustaqeem of the LHC Rawalpindi bench upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision of postponing the election after Pakistan Muslim League-N candidate Hanif Abbasi was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) court in the ephedrine case on July 21.

Sheikh Rashid had pointed out in his petition that the ECP had exercised its power unnecessarily as it did not postpone elections after the conviction and disqualification of Maryam Nawaz and Sardar Ghulam Abbas from Chakwal in their constituencies.

Election has been put off after disqualification and imprisonment of PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi

The petitioner stated: “If one of the contesting candidates was involved in smuggling of narcotics substance or ephedrine, the petitioner and other contesting candidates could not be penalised for such criminal acts of that candidate. If he has suffered conviction or disqualification it can neither be used for spoiling the election campaign of the petitioner and other candidates, nor could the election be delayed.”

During the hearing, Rashid Gardezi, a candidate of the Pakistan Falah Party from the same constituency, requested the court to uphold the ECP’s decision saying that since the environment for conducting poll is not congenial and the delay also dispels the impression that the national institutions are interfering in the election process.

Sardar Abdul Raziq, counsel for Sheikh Rashid, said that he would file an appeal against this order before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In a video message, Sheikh Rashid expressed the hope that apex court would turn down the ECP’s decision.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018