In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court nullified the orders passed about the delimitations of two Balochistan Assembly constituencies and observed that no such challenge could be entertained after the ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) issued the schedule for February 8 countrywide polling. The ruling was passed by a three-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, which also comprised Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, meaning that the country’s top court have closed all the doors to orchestrate a delay in the much-awaited general elections.

It was the ECP which had moved the Supreme Court against the Balochistan High Court (BHC) judgment that changed the delimitations of two provincial constituencies – one in Sherani district and the other in Zhob. How a high court could exercise the powers granted to the ECP through the Constitution, Justice Minallah questioned and remarked that “everything [objections etc] stops once the election schedule is announced”. Applications would flood the Supreme Court if [the ECP powers were curbed] by rejecting the appeal, he said and noted that holding free and fair polls was a test for the country’s top electoral body.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)