The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued notices to the Election Commission on petitions filed for general elections in the country. The hearing of the case has been scheduled until November 2. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice, conducted the hearing on petitions regarding the general elections.
The petitioner, Abid Zubairi, stated that they challenged the decision of the 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 Abid Zubairi explained that it was indeed filed in August but was not processed.
The Chief Justice mentioned that the court staff had informed them that no urgent hearing request was submitted, and it should have been an urgent matter. It's important to note that various parties, including the Bar Association and PTI, have filed petitions for general elections to be held in the country within 90 days. This was the first formal hearing on the matter of general elections in the country.
The court stated that according to the petitioners, the Election Commission began delimitation of constituencies after the census, and the delimitation process will be completed by November 14. The petitioners, however, are not satisfied with the process of delimitation, census, and constituency demarcation. They claim that the entire process is an excuse for delaying the elections.
The petitioners argued that holding elections within 90 days is a constitutional requirement. According to them, elections are not possible within 90 days after delimitation and the census. The court inquired about the person responsible for not providing an election date, and the petitioners responded in various ways.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Justice Faiz Isa raised significant questions, including whether they should issue a notice to the President of the country for not providing an election date. The remarks made to the lawyer of Azhar Siddique indicated that it seems the petitioners did not write the request themselves.
The lawyers are actively participating in television programs and are not fully prepared. Abid Zubairi, an advocate, even admitted that if the Supreme Court orders elections within 90 days today, polling on November 3 would not be feasible.