ISLAMABAD, Mar 26 (APP):The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
reserved its verdict on a plea of not administrating the oath to the newly elected members on the
reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a
ssembly.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, including members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (Retd) Ikram Ullah Khan, heard the petition.
The MPAs elect Jamila Paracha, Afshan Hussain, Amna Sardar Faiza Malik, Shazia Jadoon, and Suresh Kumar attended the proceedings. They argued that they were being denied the opportunity to take their oath as members of provincial a
ssembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Complainants’ counsel Shah Khawar, said that the ECP issued notification for the petitioners on
reserved seats on March 4, and it was the responsibility of the Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa A
ssembly to convene the session and administer the oath. The Speaker is constitutionally obligated to convene the a
ssembly session. He argued that the April 2, Senate elections should be held only after administering the oath.
The Chief Election Commissioner questioned how the ECP could instruct the Speaker of the a
ssembly regarding the delay in administering the oath to the newly elected members on
reserved seats.
A representative from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a
ssembly stated that the Speaker has not refused to administer the oath, but rather argued that the summoning of the a
ssembly session by the Governor was illegal.
Shah Khawar emphasized that the ECP should not intervene in the internal affairs of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a
ssembly proceedings.
The Secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a
ssembly mentioned that it needs to be examined whether the Governor has the authority to summon the a
ssembly session without a summary from the relevant authorities. The oath will be administered promptly following the session.
The Director General of Law at ECP affirmed that it is the fundamental responsibility of the commission to conduct elections. Moreover, the commission has jurisdiction over oath-taking procedures. ECP can provide directives concerning the oath-taking process of members and intervene if there are any delays in the speaker’s administration of the oath.
