Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday challenged in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to award a minority seat to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.  

Making the ECP, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly speaker and the JUI-F’s minority leader respondents in the petition, the PML-N said that on March 26 the ECP had declared Gorpal Singh elected on a minority seat.

The party argued that although it was entitled to seven reserved seats in the provincial assembly, the election commission, in violation of the constitution, the Election Act and the rules, gave it six seats.

The PML-N further said that a formula for awarding reserved seats to political parties had been laid down in the constitution as well as in the Election Act. “But the ECP overlooked it," the party complained.

Since the election commission’s decision was in violation of the constitution, the party said, therefore, the court was requested to declare it null and void.

The party also prayed to the court to bar the KP Assembly speaker from administering the oath to Singh until it pronounced decision on the petition.

Reporter: Amir Shehzad