SC overturns BHC’s ruling on delimitations

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday overturned the Balochistan High Court’s ruling on delimitations.

The three-member bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah delivered a significant decision in response to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) appeal regarding the delimitation of two Quetta provincial assembly seats.

The SC emphasized that objections to constituency delimitations cannot be raised once the election schedule has been announced.

Justice Athar Minallah questioned the high court’s use of the election commission’s legal authority, while Justice Mansoor Ali Shah noted that litigation on constituencies becomes ineffective after the election schedule is issued.

Justice Shah stressed the need to establish limits and draw a line in such matters, emphasizing that the entire election process should not be disrupted to provide relief to an individual.

Justice Sardar Tariq Masood expressed confusion about the widespread desire to delay elections, stating, “Let elections take place in the country.” The Balochistan High Court had previously altered the delimitation of constituencies in Shirani and Zhob, prompting the ECP to file an appeal with the Supreme Court against the decision.

Notably, the Supreme Court had also suspended a Lahore High Court order regarding the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy last week. This suspension had raised uncertainties about the feasibility of holding general polls.