ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to provincial President of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Balochistan Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qadir, Central Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a petition moved against the intra-party elections of PML-N.

A single Bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing of the petition and directed the respondents to submit their written replies before the next hearing and deferred the proceedings for two weeks.

Mir Muhammad Asghar Khan Marri, District Secretary General PML-N Sibi, and Muhammad Ajmal Awan, District President of Zhob, had moved the petition through their counsel Muhammad Ishtiaq Advocate.

In their petition, they stated that they are committed members of PML-N and acting provincial President and acting provincial Secretary General announced the schedule for conducting intra party election on provincial level to be held on 23-11-2018.

They adopted that as the schedule was announced without observing mandatory requirements of party constitution, as such petitioners called in question the conduct of intra-party election but the provincial office-bearers without adhering to the legitimate objections of petitioners, conducted the so-called elections in fanciful manner on 23-11-2018.

Then, they filed the petition before the ECP which was dismissed by the order dated 8-8-2019 inter alia on the ground that the petitioners did not challenge the provincial intra party election before the Election Tribunal of party and further that they have challenged the elections before the Commission with the delay of two months and did not file any application for condonation of delay.

They maintained that the said order of ECP is illegal, without a lawful authority and is liable to be set aside.

Therefore, he prayed to the court that an impugned order dated 8-8-2019 passed by the learned ECP may be declared to be illegal, without a lawful authority and may be set aside and intra party election conducted on 23-11-2018 without adopting procedure as well as the law alongwith all events and ancillary thereto and also the acting provincial President and General Secretary may be directed to conduct intra party election afresh by following the constitution of PML-N strictly in accordance with law.