ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) suffered another blow on Thursday when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared that all nominees who were awarded party tickets by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would now contest the upcoming Senate Elections as Independent Candidates.
It is worth mention here that the Senate Elections would take place on March 3 while all the initial processes including the scrutiny of nomination papers by the aspirant candidates and publication of final list have already passed.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan while declaring Nawaz Sharif ineligible to head a political party also ruled that all the political decisions made by him as the PML-N President would stand null and void.
Subsequently certain doubts had begun surfacing as the Senate Elections would likely be postponed because tickets to PML-N Candidates issued by Nawaz Sharif were nullified.
Earlier in the day, the PML-N Chairman Raja Zafar ul Haq issued party tickets to the party Candidates for contesting Senate Elections, and also reached the ECP for submission of his-signed forms of Candidates.
However, the ECP in its meeting presided by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Muhammad Raza rejected the forms submitted by Raja Zafar ul Haq, saying it was violation of the Supreme Court’s orders, and also announced that the PML-N nominees would take part in the Senate Elections as Independent Candidate.
سینٹ انتخابات میں مسلم لیگ ن کے امیدواران کو پارٹی ٹکٹ سےمحروم کرنیکا فیصلہ غیر منصفانہ اور قانون کے منافی ھے
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) February 22, 2018
راجہ ظفر الحق مسلم لیگ ن کے منتخب چئیرمین ھیں – انھیں پارٹی ٹکٹ جاری کرنیکا اختیار ھے-
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) February 22, 2018
اگر کوٸ ووٹ کم ھوا تو ذمہ داری غیر منصفانہ فیصلہ کرنیوالوں کی ھو گی – ھمارے جماعت اور امیدواران کی حق تلفی کی گئ ھے- ھمارے امیدواران کو اُنکی مرضی کے خلاف آزاد امیدوار کے طور پر الیکشن لڑنے پر مجبور کیا گیا ھے-
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) February 22, 2018
Earlier talking to media persons, Raja Zafar ul Haq said the Chairman held the authority for issuing party tickets.
Raja Zafar ul Haq said the PML-N was following directives as per decisions of the Supreme Court.
“We are executing the decision of the court and there was no ambiguity in that regard,” he added.
