The Supreme Court has granted stay to PTI’s leader Qasim Khan Suri on an appeal challenging verdict of a Balochistan High Court’s election tribunal which declared the election of NA-265 (Quetta-II) as null and void and ordered re-election in the constituency concerned
ISLAMABAD (Pakistan Point News - 7th Oct, 2019) The Supreme Court has granted stay to PTI’s leader Qasim Khan Suri on an appeal challenging verdict of a Balochistan High Court’s election tribunal which declared the election of NA-265 (Quetta-II) as null and void and ordered re-election in the constituency concerned. A SC three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the appeal moved by PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri, and accepted it for regular hearing .
During the proceeding, the bench suspended tribunal’s decision and observed that no election would be held in the constituency till hearing of the case. “The decision of the election tribunal will remain suspended till hearing of the case,” the bench observed. The top court, after granting the stay order on Suri’s appeal, adjourned further proceedings till indefinite period. As Mr. Suri came to know about the stay order on his appeal and subsequently about restoration of his status as deputy speaker of the national assembly, he said he thanked God.
On Sept 28, an election tribunal of the Blaochistan High Court declared Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri’s election as null and void and ordered re-election in NA-265- (Quetta –II), on a petition moved by Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani against rigging in the constituency. Previously, the decision of the election tribunal was described as a major setback for the ruling PTI. The election tribunal had passed the judgment after NADRA submitted its report and nullified the entire election of constituency NA-265 (Quetta-II).
Former Balochistan CM Nawab Lashkari Raisani had challenged the eligibility of NA deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri. Raisani was one of the candidates who had contested from NA-265 but could not win the election. Petitioner Raisani had argued that 65,000 votes out of total 114,000 cast during the pollinng in NA-265 were invalid and fake. He said the entire election was rigged since a sizeable number of votes could not be verified. According to ECP’s results, Suri bagged 25, 979 votes while his rival Raisani could get 20, 394 votes and ECP’s official results show that 3, 422 votes were rejected in total in the constituency.
Meanwhile, commenting over the decision of the tribunal, the rival candidates of Qasim Khan Suri had said that their doubts about the transparency in constituency’s election had proven true. It may be mentioned here that Lashkari Raisani, Mehmood Khan Achakzai of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Hafiz Hamdullah of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl, former BA speaker Raheela Durrani and Qasim Khan Suri had contested the election from NA-265 (Qutta-II).
