ISLAMABAD : The Election Commission of Pakistan will announce verdict in the petition challenging the appointment of Maryam Nawaz as PML-N Vice President on August 27.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Raza Khan on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition challenging the appointment of Maryam Nawaz as vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

PML-N lawyer Jehangir Jadoon during the hearing said that the duty of the ECP was to conduct elections in the country and not to conduct party elections.

He added that according to the law, the results of the party elections can be challenged and not the nominations of the party for certain positions. He said that nomination of Maryam Nawaz took place as per the law.

When the petitioner raised objection as how a person can run party’s affairs from jail, the PML-N lawyer argued that people can run party’s affairs from jails and can also hold party positions as constitution does not restrict them from doing so. Therefore, he said, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was indirectly running party affairs from jail. He added that party head can take decisions of the party and no one can take away this right from him. In his remarks, the ECP member from Punjab Altaf Qureshi asked the PML-N lawyers if he accepts Maryam Nawaz was selected and not elected.

However, PTI leader Malika Bukhari’s lawyer Hassan Maan in his remarks said that it doesn’t matter if Maryam was selected or elected because this was an internal issue of their party and the PML-N was yet to issue the notification of the appointment of Maryam Nawaz.

Maryam’s lawyer Barrister Zafarullah said that there was no law that allows anyone to challenge the post of vice-president and ECP can only take action against the violation of any code of conduct by a political party, which did not happen in Maryam’s appointment case.

Maryam Nawaz was appointed vice president of PML-N, which was challenged by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the election commission of Pakistan.

Maryam Nawaz in her response had requested the ECP to dismiss the plea, as there was no restriction in the Constitution and Election Act on a convicted person hold any party position.