The Federal Constitutional Court has suspended further proceedings by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the disqualification case of Swat’s PTI-backed independent Member of the National Assembly, Sohail Sultan, until further orders.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Rozi Khan heard the petition.
During the hearing, Barrister Gohar, representing Sohail Sultan, argued that once elections are concluded, a constitutional petition can be filed under Article 199 of the Constitution.
He maintained that the Speaker of the National Assembly did not have the legal authority to send a disqualification reference to the Election Commission, adding that the Supreme Court had already established this principle in the Nawaz Sharif case.
After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to the Election Commission and other concerned parties. It is worth noting that the Election Commission had earlier declared the reference forwarded by the Speaker of the National Assembly as maintainable.
