The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued notices to the Election Commissionon petitions filed for general elections in the country. The hearing of thecase has been scheduled until November 2. A three-member bench, headed byChief Justice, conducted the hearing on petitions regarding the generalelections.
The petitioner, Abid Zubairi, stated that they challenged the decision ofthe Council of Common Interests on August 5, but the case was not fixed.The Chief Justice inquired why the request was not filed earlier, and AbidZubairi explained that it was indeed filed in August but was not processed.
The Chief Justice mentioned that the court staff had informed them that nourgent hearing request was submitted, and it should have been an urgentmatter. It’s important to note that various parties, including the BarAssociation and PTI, have filed petitions for general elections to be heldin the country within 90 days. This was the first formal hearing on thematter of general elections in the country.
The court stated that according to the petitioners, the Election Commissionbegan delimitation of constituencies after the census, and the delimitationprocess will be completed by November 14. The petitioners, however, are notsatisfied with the process of delimitation, census, and constituencydemarcation. They claim that the entire process is an excuse for delayingthe elections.
The petitioners argued that holding elections within 90 days is aconstitutional requirement. According to them, elections are not possiblewithin 90 days after delimitation and the census. The court inquired aboutthe person responsible for not providing an election date, and thepetitioners responded in various ways.
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During the hearing, Chief Justice Justice Faiz Isa raised significantquestions, including whether they should issue a notice to the President ofthe country for not providing an election date. The remarks made to thelawyer of Azhar Siddique indicated that it seems the petitioners did notwrite the request themselves.
The lawyers are actively participating in television programs and are notfully prepared. Abid Zubairi, an advocate, even admitted that if theSupreme Court orders elections within 90 days today, polling on November 3would not be feasible.