A important development is that an application for contempt of court was filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday, raising a legal challenge against the Senate’s resolution voted on Friday to postpone the impending elections.
The resolution was unexpectedly enacted in the midst of full-fledged election preparations, clouding the previously decided election date of February 8, which had been fixed after talks between President Arif Alvi and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The resolution, which was unexpectedly approved despite the low turnout, added an element of uncertainty to the voting process.
Renowned attorney Ishtiaq Ahmed has pushed the courts to file a contempt of court case against the Senate’s leadership and members. He emphasized the need for legal action against the chairman and the implicated senators, arguing that the Senate’s enacted resolution is in contempt of court.
According to Express News, the application asking for a comprehensive investigation into the constitutionality of the Senate’s ruling has been formally filed with the Supreme Court.
A counter-resolution was submitted to the Senate Secretariat today by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), who has expressed strong opposition to the Senate’s decision.
Senator Mushtaq claims that the Senate’s standing has been damaged and calls the decision to postpone the elections an act of disrespect towards the body.
The senator from Jamaica argued that the motion to postpone the elections is unconstitutional and goes against the Constitution’s tenets. He claimed that holding elections is a constitutional duty left to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker administration.
Senator Mushtaq further emphasized that the Supreme Court has already rendered a decision that is definitive in this regard.
The JI lawmaker’s resolution contended that it is unconstitutional to postpone the polls, citing law and order issues and unfavorable weather as justifications. He denounced the motion, calling it a bid by forces hostile to democracy to sidestep the democratic process.
Senator Mushtaq claimed that postponing the elections would benefit anti-democratic elements and endanger the country’s democratic foundation.
The resolution also cautioned that delaying the elections could have disastrous effects on the nation’s politics, democracy, constitutionalism, unity, and integrity. In the greatest interests of the country, it emphasized the significance of maintaining the democratic process and demanded that the Senate’s resolution be reexamined.
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