On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended an order from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The IHC’s order had shifted several election petitions to a new tribunal. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC presided over the case and issued a contempt of court notice to PML-N lawmaker Anjum Aqeel Khan. He ordered Khan to attend every hearing.
The ECP’s decision, made by a four-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on June 10, was to transfer petitions filed by PML-N lawmakers. These lawmakers had their February 8 poll victories challenged by PTI-supported independents.
The petitions in question were lodged by PML-N’s Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Aqeel Khan, and Raja Khurram Nawaz. They faced opposition from PTI-backed candidates Muhammad Ali Bokhari, Shoaib Shaheen, and Aamir Mughal.
Reacting to the ECP’s move, the PTI-backed candidates approached the IHC. The court initially stopped the new tribunals from proceeding with the cases.
