ISLAMABAD - Saifullah Khan Niazi, additional secretary general Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Friday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking its directions to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for publishing/uploading form-XIV, which contains results of every polling station of an electoral constituency, on its official website.
The petitioner moved the court through his counsel Shoaib Shaheen Advocate and maintained in the writ petition that PTI had lodged a countrywide protest while pointing out several discrepancies and irregularities in the electoral process which had happened during the 2013 general elections. He added that in this regard, PTI also served a legal notice on the ECP requesting the institution to publish Forms XIV for all constituencies of national and provincial assemblies regarding the general elections 2013 on its official website.
The petitioner informed the court that the ECP had not responded to their legal notice and was not publishing form XIV that was a violation of fundamental right to information that is guaranteed under article 19-A of the constitution.
He continued that article 19-A of the constitution reads: “Every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law.”
He argued that by not acceding to the PTI’s request, the ECP had been violating constitution of Pakistan. Moreover it is an established law that the state authorities are bound to ensure that there is no breach or violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan.
Niazi maintained that the matter was of great public importance and the IHC might direct ECP to publish/upload the Form XIV of all constituencies of national and provincial assemblies on its official website.