ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not upload important papers pertaining to the results on its website by the legally mandated time on Thursday, as was expected.
Furthermore, it appears unlikely that the procedure will be finished anytime soon because, according to a senior ECP official, adding over 90,000 Forms 45s on its official website would take a lot of time.
The official clarified, however, that all national along with provincial assembly constituencies had their election results declared and released to the official gazette, in compliance with Article 224(2) of the Constitution, with the exception of those where the results have been stayed by the courts.
The official gave no indication as to when this section 95 of the Elections Act legal obligation would need to be fulfilled, nor did he say whether or not the rule was being completely disregarded.
The official cited over 300 cases that the high courts had remanded to the ECP, alleging variations between Form 45s and 47s. In several of these cases, the parties had Form 45s that differed significantly from one another, making it challenging to determine which was authentic. The official further stated that the authentication process could take more than a month.
On Friday, the commission is anticipated to get a briefing from its legal division regarding the issue of reserved seats in the lower chamber of parliament for the Sunni Ittehad Council, which now comprises almost all independents supported by the PTI in the National Assembly.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
