Lahore – Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) submitted a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) to challenge the Elections Bill 2017, pleading the courts to have this bill declared null and void.
A recently passed law, the Elections Bill 2017 contains a clause which allows politicians disqualified from holding any public office to lead political parties — which is seen by the opposition as an undemocratic attempt to re-elect ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president.
PAT has argued in a petition that the bill is “unconstitutional” as it enables a disqualified person to lead or become a party leader, Sheikh Rasheed-led Awami Muslim League, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have also decided to oppose this law.
On Monday, the National Assembly was able to pass the Elections Bill 2017 which was immediately ratified by President Mamnoon Hussain and in intra-party elections, PML-N re-elected Nawaz just after a day the Elections Bill 2017 was passed in the National Assembly.
Elections Bill 2017, is widely opposed by the opposition, which in protest tore the copies of this bill as it was presented by Law Minister Zahid Hamid.
