The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday dismissed petitions of Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman and others against the mayor’s election. The court will issue the reasons later, the bench said in its order. “The issue before the court, has been the election of the mayor,” the bench observed. “If the election for mayor has been a separate poll?” the court posed question. “Your case has been that the law was amended after the electoral process began,” the bench remarked. “If a separate notification was issued for the mayor’s election,” the court asked. “The electoral process begins with the notification of the election commission,” lawyer said.

“The polling day was changed by amending this notification,” petitioner’s lawyer said. Mayor Karachi’s lawyer said that the electoral college was incomplete before the amendment in the law. “The mayor’s election could not happen before the amendment,” the lawyer further argued. Pakistan People’s Party’s Barrister Murtaza Wahab had won the Karachi’s Mayoral election that took place on 15 June 2023. Jamaat-e-Islami fielded Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman as its candidate for the mayor’s office.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan