LAHORE:
On Wednesday, the Medceptory of the Superior Court of Lahore (LHC) ordered the office of its registrar to reconsider a petition that challenges the eligibility of the president of the Popular Party of Pakistan (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as a member of the National Assembly, after the objections to the presentation are addressed.
Judge Khalid Ishaq issued the board during the preliminary hearing of a constitutional request presented by Ashba Kamran.
The petitioner argued that the Simultaneous Association of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with two different political entities: PPP and parliamentarians of the Party of the Peoples of Pakistan (PPPP), constitutes a violation of section 203 (3) of the Elections Law, 2017.
According to the petition, Bilawal serves as president of the PPP, which uses the electoral symbol “Sword”, while MNA was chosen in the 2018 and 2024 general elections of PPPP, which uses the “arrow” symbol.
Kamran argued that both entities are registered separately with the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) and that the dual membership in contrast to electoral laws and constitutional obligations.
“The ECP, despite being the constitutional tutor of the electoral process, could not enforce section 203 (3) and its own pre -electoral guidelines issued to the officers returning on June 13, 2024,” said the petitioner.
She argued that the double role of Bilawal leading a party while disputing elections under another viola not only the election law but also article 5 of the Constitution, which requires loyalty to the State and adhesion to the Constitution.
In addition, he affirmed that the practice cheated the voters and violated article 4, which guarantees equal protection and equity according to the law.
Kamran also requested that the Court summon the General Secretaries and the PPP-PP-P Information Secretaries to produce ECP documentation specifically certified under section 209 that clarifies the official designation of Bilawal. She argued that the continuous leadership of Bilawal of PPP, despite being a representative chosen under the PPPP banner, is misleading and legally unsustainable.
Highlighting that Bilawal was elected without opposition as president of PPP in the elections within the party held in January 2021 and again in April 2025, Kamran claimed that such dual roles were not only illegal but also compromised the credibility of the democratic process.
