Pakistan: Punjab Assembly passes resolution against CEC, demands resignation
Jul 31, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 31 : Pakistan's Punjab Assembly on Sunday passed a resolution against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, and demanded his resignation as chief of the country's poll body.
This comes after the PTI's reservations against the CEC's over the election process, The News International reported.
PTI's Member Provincial Assembly Syed Abbas Ali Shah presented the resolution during a session.
Following the proceedings on Sunday, the Punjab Assembly's session has been deferred until 1 pm (local time) on August 15, The News International reported.
Notably, the PTI leadership held a high-level meeting on Saturday during which they decided to file a judicial reference against the Chief Election Commissioner.
PTI Chief Imran Khan directed the party's legal experts to prepare a reference against him. The decision came after the party's repeated demands calling for CEC's resignation.
Expressing concerns over the meeting between members of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and a government delegation the PTI leadership said, "CEC Sikandar Raja Sultan violated the ECP's code of conduct,"
In addition to filing a judicial reference, the meeting also decided to bring no-confidence motion against the election commission in two provincial assemblies - Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To intensify its protest against the alleged collusion between Election Commission and the PTI chairman, the PTI Chairman has directed the legal experts to start proceedings.
Earlier on Saturday, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed the same while addressing the media. He said that the PTI was mulling over bringing a reference against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja against meeting leaders from the ruling coalition.
He said that leaders of the ruling coalition met CEC and discussed the prohibited funding case which is against the judges' code of conduct which also applies to Sikandar Sultan. The former Pakistani minister added that CEC and members of the ECP violated their code of conduct of the judiciary.
"How members of the ECP could meet people who are party to a case," he said.
