Raisani approaches ECP to halt elections

Calls NA-265 by-polls ‘contempt of court’

QUETTA:

Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani on Monday submitted an application to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for stopping the by-elections on NA-265.

The BNP-M leader argued that the election on NA-265 will be a violation of the Supreme Court order and interference in the judicial proceedings.

Lashkari Risani, through Advocate Riaz Ahmed and Advocate Sohail Rajput, submitted the application to NA-265 returning officer (RO) Nazeer Ahmed Harifal. In his application, he termed the NA-265 by-polls “a contempt of court”.

Explaining the chronology of events, the BNP-M leader, who is also a contestant in the constituency, contended that he had challenged the victory notification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Qasim Suri in the 2018 elections in the election tribunal of Balochistan High Court (BHC).

As a result, he added, the election tribunal had nullified the victory of Qasim Khan Suri, who is also former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, and had ordered re-election on September 27, 2019.

The PTI leader had then approached the Supreme Court, challenging the order of the election tribunal, he mentioned.

Raisani claimed that the apex court then suspended the notification of the commission and issued a stay order, halting any progress till the final decision.

The BNP leader accused the PTI leader of concealing facts from the speaker NA saying the former deputy speaker tendered his resignation without mentioning the stay order.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2023.