LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday directed a federal government’s lawyer to furnish details of the proceedings pending before the Supreme Court assailing the Election (Second Amendment) Act 2024.

Justice Shakil Ahmad took up a challenge against the impugned amendments and the law when an additional attorney general opposed the maintainability of the petition.

The law officer stated that the same matter was already pending before the Supreme Court. He also questioned the locus standi of the petitioner.

However, Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioner’s counsel, said the apex court had not started any formal proceedings regarding the matter and even preliminary notices had not been issued in the case yet.

The judge directed the law officer to submit the latest information about the proceedings pending before the supreme court and adjourned the hearing till Aug 19.

In the petition, Advocate Siddique alleged that the government introduced the amendments to the law only to make July 12 judgment of the supreme court ineffective, which, he claimed, did complete justice to the people of Pakistan by directing that the PTI-backed independent returned candidates be recognised as the candidates of the party (PTI).

He said the impugned amendments were party-specific and the ruling parties were already enjoying the quota of reserved seats and they could not be given the right to take advantage of the amendments.

He asked the court to declare the Election (Second Amendment) Act, 2024 ultra vires of the Constitution and restrain the ECP from allocating reserved seats that are proportionate to the PTI’s entitlement to any other political party in the National Assembly and provincial assembly of Punjab,.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024