— PTI moves contempt plea against tribunal for ‘disobeying’ order to hold vote on Saturday
— Imran calls ‘fearful’ government and tribunal ‘B team’ of military ‘backers’
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and coalition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to withdraw its “practically impossible” verdict requiring the former to hold the already delayed election for local government in the capital on Saturday.
Separately, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party of former prime minister Imran Khan moved a contempt petition against the top agency for “deliberately disobeying” the court order.
The commission “should be convicted and sentenced in an exemplary manner, in the interest to maintain the sanctity of judgments and honourable courts,” the petition, moved by Ali Nawaz Awan, a party MP from Islamabad, requested the court.
Meanwhile, the government petitions, claiming the judgement was “tenable on legal as well as a factual aspect” because it was not passed on “ground realities”, however, are yet to be fixed for hearing, Pakistan Today has learnt.
On Friday, the high court, hearing identical petitions moved by the opposition PTI and the Jamaat-i-Islami parties challenging Tuesday’s decision of the election tribunal to postpone the vote “for the time being”, ordered the agency to hold the election on Saturday.
The following morning, long queues were reported outside polling stations across Islamabad as voters came out, braving the cold, to cast their ballots, but the staff of the election commission remained “missing”.
ہائی کورٹ کے واضح احکامات کے باوجود ECP اور امپورٹڈ حکومت کی ہٹ دھرمی اسلام آباد میں بلدیاتی انتخابات کے دن کسی پولنگ اسٹیشن پر عملہ اور سامان نہ پہنچ سکا ووٹرز پولنگ اسٹیشن پہنچ چکے مگر عملہ غائب
ان کو صرف مرضی کے الیکشن اور مرضی کے فیصلے ہی پسند آتے #الیکشن_سے_پھر_بھاگ_گئے pic.twitter.com/PggoGBtzWU— Ahsan Shabbir Malik (@Ma1Ahsan) December 31, 2022
The weather did not appear to have deterred the determined. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed plenty of queues.
In a tweet, Imran Khan, former prime minister and chairman of the party, noted that by not implementing the court order, the commission had proven that it was a “B team of the imported government and its backers”, an apparent reference to the military establishment.
“PDM, fearful of the people, is running away from all elections. The right to vote is a fundamental democratic norm and PTI stands committed to it,” he said.
By not implementing IHC orders to hold LG elections in Islamabad today, ECP has again shown it is B team of Imported Govt & its backers. PDM, fearful of the people, is running away from all elections. Right to vote is a fundamental democratic norm & PTI stands committed to it.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 31, 2022
Separately, in a video statement, Asad Umar, secretary general of the party, said PTI teams were present outside polling stations since morning but no one from the tribunal showed up.
“I want to ask the election commission […] why were you not prepared to hold the vote,” he asked. “How can you say you were not ready?”
“We request the court to give its verdict against the election commission which is guilty of committed contempt of court,” he continued. “Its officials should be removed from their positions.”
Secretary General PTI, @Asad_Umar, has demanded that the Election Commission be held in contempt of court for blatant violation of clear orders of the Islamabad High Court. #توہین_عدالت_نامنظورpic.twitter.com/x9o2VNpVM3
— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) December 31, 2022
Responding to the chargesheet, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), defended the decision to defy the court order, claiming it was virtually impossible for the government to mobilise the staff and material in less than 24 hours.
He said the target of mobilising at least 30,000 personnel and the delivery of election materials alone was difficult to meet. “At least 25,000 election staff had to be moved to man the polling stations which was not possible, that too on a weekend,” he said.
He noted most of the staff comprised school teachers under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), a government agency which oversees schools and colleges in Islamabad. And FDE staff is currently on winter vacation, he said.
He also took the credit for holding the last local government elections in the capital in 2015 after 1979.
The MP noted the metropolitan organisation formed under the last electoral process had completed its tenure in January 2021 while Khan was in power.
“Why didn’t the PTI administration hold local bodies elections in Islamabad for over a year after that,” he asked.
‘GERRYMANDERING’
The fiasco, which government critics dubbed an attempt at gerrymandering, began to unfold last week when the federal government decided to delay the election, announcing an increase in the number of seats in the capital from 101 to 125, at a time when the vote was just round the corner.
This increase in the union councils required new delimitations — a process that is expected to take several months to complete.
Initially, the election tribunal rejected these amendments saying the move was against the election laws, and announced the elections would be held per the schedule.
But, on Thursday, the administration of Shehbaz Sharif, in a frantic attempt to delay the polls, passed a government bill seeking to increase the number of union councils, less than 10 days ahead of the polling day.
The bill was passed with the house visibly lacking quorum throughout the proceedings which lasted less than 40 minutes.
Subsequently, on Tuesday, a five-member bench of the election commission postponed the election “for the time being”.
