ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday hailed the decision of the Supreme Court after it invalidated an order of the Election Commission of Pakistan to put off the elections in Punjab as unconstitutional.
The apex court has fixed May 14 as the date for polls in the province while hearing the ruling on a petition filed by the PTI against the top electoral body.
“The impugned order dated 22.03.2023 made by the Election Commission of Pakistan is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect and is hereby quashed,” reads the verdict. “Neither the Constitution nor the law empowers the Commission to extend the date of elections beyond the 90 days period as provided in Article 224(2) of the Constitution.”
Talking to media outside the top court, PTI vice-chairperson Shah Mahmood Qureshi congratulated the nation. He said the Supreme Court has buried the doctrine of necessity and all those forces attempting to damage democratic setup in the country.
Calling the verdict a “watershed moment” for Pakistan, he said the ruling drew a clear line between constitutional and unconstitutional forces.
He said the top court has freed the ECP from all pressures as the government had been ordered to provide resources to it for holding the polls. It is now the ECP’s turn to discharge its constitutional duties, he said.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also heaped praises on Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial for the landmark ruling, calling him a “people’s chief justice”.
J Bandial has become People’s Chief Justice today….. he stood tall against immense pressure rejected all illegal demands and proved a man of substance … Nation Salutes SC #NationStandswithCJP #NationStandswithConstitution
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 4, 2023
“Very few people have the privilege to get the amount of respect that has come towards Justice Bandial and his fellow judges today,” he said.
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar the ruling has rejected the doctrine of necessity.
آئین سے انحراف کی کوشش مسترد۔ نظریہ ضرورت مسترد۔ پاکستان زندہ باد
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 4, 2023
He also reacted to the government’s decision to not accept the verdict, saying the ruling partners wanted to create state crisis in the country.
Punjab elections on May 14 as Supreme Court sets aside ECP order to delay polls
