Pakistan's top court overturns postponement of elections in 2 key provinces

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan's top court on Tuesday overturned the country's election authority's decision to postpone polls in the two key provinces.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial that had reserved the judgment on Monday after over a week-long hearing, ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold polls in northeastern Punjab province on May 14, according to the court record.

The court will continue hearing case of elections in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Declaring the Election Commission's decision to postpone the elections "unconstitutional," the bench observed that the Constitution does not allow the election authority to postpone the polls.

The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif already expressed reservations about the hearing, pointing fingers at the formation of the bench, and demanding a full-court bench to hear the crucial petition filed by the main opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The demand was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The top court, early March, in a 3-2 verdict, had ordered the Election Commission to hold polls in the two provinces within 90 days.

The Election Commission, however, postponed the polls until Oct. 8, citing financial and security reasons.

The elections, otherwise, were slated to be held on April 30 after former Prime Minister Imran Khan had dissolved his governments and the assemblies of the two provinces in January in an attempt to force the government for snap elections.

The government, nonetheless, insists that elections should be held simultaneously throughout the country.