LAHORE: A contempt petition against Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for postponing the election to the Punjab Assembly, previously scheduled to be held on April 30, will be heard by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday.
Barrister Shahid Rana’s petition said the LHC had ordered the conduct of elections in Punjab within 90 days and the ECP had announced April 30 as the polling day. However, the tribunal changed the poll date to October 8 despite the court’s order.
Last week, elections in Punjab were postponed in a move that defied the Supreme Court ruling that a new election should be held within 90 days of the parliament being dissolved and led to more tensions between supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan and the government.
The election commission cited security threats and financial problems for the delay and said it could not provide a “level playing field” to all parties.
The petition alleges that the ECP changed the date at the behest of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition, violating the judgement and amounting to contempt of court.
The petitioner has requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against Raja and other members of the ECP.
