Imran Khan in Trouble, Pak Supreme Court Allows ECP to Continue Contempt Proceedings

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday permitted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to continue its proceedings against former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, in cases related to the contempt of the electoral body.

The three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Ayesha has passed this order.

The proceedings initiated by the ECP under Section 10 of the Election Act, 2017, against the respondents “have been allowed to continue.” “But ECP has been hereby restrained from passing final orders under the said section,” according to local news paper

The order stated that the high courts had not stopped the commission from proceeding in the matter initiated by it and the respondents had raised objections regarding the “alleged incompetence” of the officer who issued the show cause notices.

“As these objections have been raised in the pending proceedings under section 10 before the ECP, the same are required to be considered and decided by it before passing any final order,”it added
“We hold that the petitioner [ECP] may continue its proceedings in accordance with law including, by decisions on the objections raised on behalf of the respondents,” it added.

In August and September, the ECP issued contempt notices exercising its power of contempt against PTI Chief Imran Khan and party leaders Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Mian Shabbir Ismail and Danial Khalid Khokhar for allegedly using “intemperate” language against the chief election commissioner and ECP, as per the local media report.

The ECP had asked PTI leaders to appear in person or through their counsels before the commission to explain their position.