Supreme Court Justice Ayesha Malik noted on Wednesday that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s role concludes upon issuing the notification of the winning candidate’s success, with all subsequent matters referred to the election tribunal.
During the hearing of a petition regarding re-polling at four polling stations in the Balochistan Assembly constituency of PB-9, Justice Malik questioned the rationale behind suspending the re-polling order.
The apex court bench, presided over by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and also comprising Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, issued notices to relevant parties, including the ECP and the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP), regarding the appeal against Nawab Chenghaiz Khan Marri’s election victory.
Ali Zafar, representing the petitioner, informed the court that Marri, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), won the PB-9 election on February 8. However, voting could not take place at four polling stations due to security concerns.
Subsequently, at the request of Mir Naseebullah Khan of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the ECP ordered re-polling at seven polling stations, which took place on February 16. Marri emerged victorious again and was sworn in as a Balochistan Assembly member on February 28.
Justice Malik questioned why the re-polling order should be suspended, while Justice Khan inquired whether the ballot papers had been printed. He noted that halting voting after printing ballot papers would be inappropriate.
The ECP’s legal representative stated that he would provide information on the ballot papers after consulting with the ECP.
