Jamshed Dasti’s counsel says Election Commission has acted on a reference but lacks authority to disqualify a candidate without a court declaration
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News –July 30th, 2025) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday suspended the by-election schedule for NA-175 in response to a petition filed by PTI leader Jamshed Dasti.
A LHC three-member bench led by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum issued a notice to the Attorney General for assistance in the case.
Jamshed Dasti filed the petition against his disqualification.
During the hearing, CJ Neelum questioned Dasti’s lawyer, asking when the power of attorney was signed, adding, “Tell the truth, this is quite an interesting story,”.
Dasti’s counsel admitted that the document was signed with a delay.
The CJ remarked that he had thoroughly reviewed the entire petition and the Election Commission's decision.
The lawyer argued that the Election Commission had acted on a reference but lacked the authority to disqualify a candidate without a court declaration.
"The Supreme Court has ruled that the Election Commission cannot disqualify anyone on its own without a judicial declaration," the lawyer added, emphasizing that Dasti was disqualified without any such declaration.
Following the arguments, the court suspended the by-election schedule for NA-175 and halted the electoral process. It also stayed the Election Commission's proceedings against Jamshed Dasti until further notice.
