SC orders re-election for PB-50 Qila Abdullah

The Supreme Court ordered re-election on Monday on Balochistan's PB-50 Qila Abdullah constituency after mutual consent of all political parties, including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, and comprising Justice Irfan Saadat and Justice Naeem Akhtar heard the case.

Awami National Party’s (ANP) Zmarak Khan had been declared victorious from Qila Abdullah PB-50 in the Feb 8 polls which was challenged by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI) Malik Nawaz in the ECP.

Zmarak had secured 44,713 votes whereas Nawaz was able to bag 43,445 votes. Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Mirwaiz Khan Achakzai received 34,604 votes.

During the hearing, the ANP leader’s counsel contended that the turnout at many polling stations of the constituency remained “unnatural”, but no re-election was ordered there.

He said re-election was ordered only at those polling stations where his client was declared victorious.

He told the court that Zmarak had also taken the oath but it was suspended by the ECP.

The chief justice remarked that the court should not be drawn into such subtleties, adding that it could not hear 400 election cases.

He said if the parties concerned agree the court would order re-polling in the entire constituency.

The top judge remarked that the court was hearing the election cases on priority cases.

The court annulled the election supervisor’s earlier order of repolling at six polling stations and ordered it to conduct fresh elections in the constituency as per the law.

The re-election order was issued with the mutual consent of all parties including the ECP.

The apex court declared that the polls supervisory body should conduct elections in the constituency according to the law.

The week following the elections in Balochistan was marred by protests from political and religious parties that took to the streets against alleged election irregularities including rigging, manipulation, and undue delays in the announcement of poll results.

Despite calls for restraint and appeals for dialogue, political and religious groups had persisted in holding rallies and demonstrations, intensifying their demands for electoral transparency and accountability.

The ANP leader’s claim of low turnout could be termed as the outcome of the several acts of terrorism that unfolded in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa when the general elections were just around the corner.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2024.