ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday de­cided to file a contempt petition against the Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Supreme Court (SC) after the apex court dismissed the elec­toral watchdog’s review petition asking the top court to revisit its order of holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14. Reacting to the SC verdict, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan said that the party would approach the apex court and file a contempt of court petition against the ECP for allegedly delaying polls in Punjab and Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa in sheer violation of the Constitution.

He said that the PTI had taken a constitutional and democratic step to dissolve the provincial assem­blies of Punjab and KP and the ECP should have held elections in the provinces within the constitutional­ly mandated 90 days of the assemblies dissolution. However, he stated that the ECP took the “illegal” step of postponing elections for an indefinite peri­od instead of following the intent of the constitution and the order of the apex court. Hasan announced that the party would file contempt pleas against the ECP and its members, including Chief Election Com­missioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, so that they could be held accountable for their actions.