ISLAMABAD:  (DNA) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday rejected Sheikh Rasheed’s plea challenging Election Commission’s order of postponing polls in NA-60 Rawalpindi following sentence of life imprisonment of PML-N candidate Hanif Abbasi.

The Awami Muslim League chief challenged the ECP order in Rawalpindi Bench of the LHC and the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference here at the SC premises, Sh Rasheed said postponement of election was unconstitutional and illegal as ECP did not postpone the election in Lahore and Manshera after the disqualification of Maryam Nawaz and Capt (R) Safdar.

The Pakistan Peoples’ Party also challenged the ECP order in Islamabad High Court.

The ECP Sunday notified postponement of the election in this constituency of Rawalpindi.

The commission said that while preparations for the general elections were in their final stages and ballot papers for the constituency were already printed with Hanif Abbasi’s election symbol on them, the ECP is bound to provide a level playing field to all candidates. It said the election in NA-60 is postponed and will be conducted after the scheduled general elections, along with other postponed elections.

Hanif Abbasi was contesting the election mainly against the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed from NA-60. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not have a covering candidate in the constituency. Sheikh Rasheed enjoys full support of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as well.