LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday withdrew its petition from the Lahore High Court, wherein it had sought a review of an order passed by a single judge for announcing the date of the general election in Punjab.

During the hearing, Advocate Shehzada Mazhar appeared on behalf of ECP secretary Omar Hamid Khan, the petitioner, who was a respondent in the petitions filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Advocate Munir Ahmad.

Justice Jawad Hassan heard the ECP petition as an objection case as the registrar office raised questions on its maintainability.

Advocate Azhar Siddique, the counsel for Munir Ahmad, stated that a contempt of court petition against the ECP and the governor was already fixed for hearing on Feb 23.

Asked about the maintainability of the ECP petition during the pendency of an intra-court appeal (ICA) by the commission against the same order, the commission`s counsel said he did not want to press the petition and would agitate the matter before a division bench set to hear the ICA.

At this, Justice Hassan sustained the office`s objection and let the counsel withdraw the petition.

In the impugned judgment of Feb 10, Justice Hassan had ordered the ECP to immediately announce the date of elections to the Punjab Assembly after consultation with the governor, in his capacity as the constitutional head of the province, to ensure that polls were held not later than 90 days as per the mandate of the Constitution.

The judge had allowed petitions of the PTl and Munir Ahmad seeking directions for the governor and the ECP to immediately announce a date for general elections in the province, since the assembly had been dissolved.-Staff Reporter