ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has dismissed three petitions seeking to postpone general elections scheduled on July 25.
A three-member bench of the Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza rejected the petitions calling for postponement of the polls and holding elections in Fata and the rest of the country on the same date.
The bench announced the verdict after hearing arguments from the petitioners’ lawyers.
Muttahia Qabail Party’s Habib Orakzai through his lawyer Dr Farogh Naseem submitted that the general polls are scheduled to be held on July 25 across the country except for Fata.
He argued if elections for provincial assembly’s seats in Fata were not held the people of the tribal areas will be deprived of their right to franchise, which would be a violation of Article 25 of the Constitution.
Besides, he contended that there would be a poor turnout of voters on the polling day owing to the hot weather conditions likely to prevail next month.
Had the elections been scheduled in the winter season the issue of inclement weather condition in Kaghan could have been raised, the CEC quipped.
Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser, a member of the ECP from KP, said that elections would be held for seats of the National Assembly in Fata.
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