Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) General Secretary Asad Umar on Tuesday tendered a reluctant apology to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a contempt case.
On Tuesday, proceedings resumed against PTI leaders, including former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, and Asad Umar for leveling serious allegations against the chief electoral body and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja.
During proceedings, Asad Umar submitted a reply to the show cause notice issued to him by the ECP.
He contended that while the ECP being an authority was empowered to send him a notice, but the notice he received from the hand of the commission’s secretary was illegal because he had no authority to send such a notice.
He went on to argue that he did not issue any of the comments which can be construed to be unfair, baseless, or had the intention to cause harm to the commission.
Umar argued in the reply that he made the comments to repose confidence in the ECP to stop indulging in polarized and discriminatory actions.
“In light of the above, the initiation of these contempt proceedings against the answering Deponent is entire without jurisdiction, is baseless and violative of Articles 9, 10A, 19, 175 and 204, wherefore, the same should be dismissed on the above-stated reasons.”
“If this commission feels that the statements made are of a nature that amounts to contempt, he places himself at the mercy of the commission and states that he is sorry for the statements made and that he may be excused and the proceedings dropped,” it added.
