ISLAMABAD – Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a suo motu case related to delay in elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar reserved the verdict after stakeholders wrapped up arguments in the case.
Earlier, CJP announced that he would announce the verdict today. Later, his secretary returned to the courtroom and announced that the verdict announcement had been rescheduled and it will now be announced tomorrow at 11:30am.
The chief justice thanked lawyers of all parties to assist the apex court.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) sought more time to hold consultation after the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the ruling parties and PTI to sit together and come up with elections dates in the Punjab and Khyber Paktunkhwa until 4pm.
After the hearing was resumed, Mansoor Usman Awan, who is representing the PML-N in the case, requested the bench that the PDM coalition would need more time for consultation as it had members from Balochistan.
Meanwhile, PPP lawyer Farooq H. Naek told the apex court that the party leadership was of the view that giving a date for election was not its job.
The PPP counsel said the president annouce the election date without the advice of the prime minister and consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan, adding that the president’s unilateral move was unconstitutional.
President Decides to Withdraw Notification for Polls in KP
Salman Akram Raja, who is representing President Arif Alvi in the case, told the bench that his client had decided to withdraw a notification regarding announcement of election date in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier in the day, the bench of the top court deliberated to determine who has the authority of giving the election date.
On Monday, four judges of the country’s top court recused themselves from the nine-member bench. The remaining bench will continue hearing the case for the interpretation of the Constitution as the opposition and ruling alliance remained at loggerheads over polls date in recent weeks.
During Monday’s hearing, the country’s top judge remarked that President can announce the date for elections as per the Elections Act, 2017.
Since the dissolution of the assemblies, the governors of both provinces and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are reluctant to announce a date for general elections in the provinces. After both parties remained failed to fulfill their duties, President Arif Alvi unilaterally announced that polls will be held in April – a move that was widely criticised by the government of coalition parties.
More to follow…
