ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday annulled the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order on the recount of votes in six union councils (UCs) of Karachi. IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan pronounced the decision on Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) request to stop the recount. JI lawyers Qaiser Imam and Hasan Javed Shorosh, and ECP officials and lawyers of other candidates appeared in the court. After hearing arguments, the IHC had stayed the implementation of the ECP’s orders regarding the recount in the six union councils of Karachi until the next hearing.

Subsequently, the court then issued notices to candidates of Karachi’s six union councils (UCs) on which it had stayed a recount of votes. Earlier on March 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the recounting of the votes in six Union Councils (UCs) of Karachi. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) filed a plea against the alleged rigging and irregularities in Local government (LG) polls. Following the plea, the ECP directed the recounting of votes in six Union Councils (UCs). JI had challenged the result of six UCs which include Mominabad UC-3, Manghopir UC-12, Gulshan-e-Iqbal UC-1, Orangi UC-3, 7 and 8.