The Lahore High Court has been petitioned to review and potentially nullify the recently enacted Elections (Second Amendment) Act 2024.
The petition, filed by citizen Mashkoor Hussain, challenges the constitutionality of the Act and its procedural enactment.
Hussain's petition names the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan, the president, and the prime minister through his secretary as respondents. He contends that four specific amendments were made to the Elections Act in a bid to overturn a previous Supreme Court decision.
The petition raises concerns that the amendments were passed without proper discussion and approval from the relevant parliamentary committee, which Hussain argues violates procedural norms. It pleads that the Lahore High Court declare sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Elections Act 2024 null and void.
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Additionally, the petition seeks a court order to stay the implementation of the law until a final decision is reached. This request aims to prevent any changes to election procedures from taking effect during the ongoing judicial review.
On Thursday, the president of Pakistan signed the Elections Act (Second Amendment Bill) 2024 into law. After the signatures of President Asif Zardari, the Elections Act (Second Amendment Bill) 2024 was officially enacted into law. The bill had previously been passed by majority votes from both the National Assembly and the Senate.
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The Senate Secretariat had sent the bill to President Zardari for his signature after its passage in both legislative bodies. With the president's signature, the bill completed the legislative process.
The Senate Secretariat received the signed summary, and the next step was the issuance of a gazette notification, which will formally publish the new law, sources said.
On August 6, the Senate passed the bill by a majority vote, following its earlier approval in the National Assembly. During the vote, 30 treasury members were present in the Senate. The opposition, with 15 members in attendance, did not propose any amendments to the bill, according to Senator Farooq H. Naek.
