Summary CEC met MNAs of FATA again and advised them to consult the court instead.
FATA (Dunya News) – Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Thursday met Members of National Assembly (MNAs) from FATA again and advised them to consult the court.
He explained that they do not possess the authority to revoke the ordinance.
Earlier today, a petition against the presidential ordinance, posed to amend the regulations for members of FATA pertaining to Senate elections, was filed at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday.
The petition requested to annul the new approach to elect the senators, introduced by the presidential ordinance. It has also been maintained that the Senate elections in FATA must be conducted under the previous regulations.
Election Commission has sought the perspective of the Law Ministry over the Statuary Regulatory Order (SRO) asking if the new regulation could be implemented after the schedule for the elections was implemented. EC stated that the situation would be clarified after the Law Ministry shares its opinion.
Meanwhile, presiding officers have stopped FATA members to cast vote.
Also, anew presidential ordinance pertaining to the senate elections was passed in FATA; just a few hours before the elections were to commence.
According to the ordinance, each Member of National Assembly (MNA) would be able to cast a singular vote. Hence, the notification rendered the unification of 6 members ineffective. Prior to the notification, six of eleven MNAs could collectively elect four senators that shrunk the significance of the votes of other six members.
Shahabuddin, member of the government, had sternly opposed this practice and had demanded to remodel the relevant rule. He further stated that six of the members, who have grouped together, if not hampered, would elect members through horse-trading.
An amendment in the regulations was made, for the members from FATA, through a presidential ordinance in 2002.
According to the sources, six independent candidates out of the total 11 members from FATA had formed a group in the National Assembly that nullified the importance of the votes of other five members including 3 members from Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), one from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and one from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).
