SC reinstates Balochistan Assembly Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has restored Balochistan Assembly’s speaker, Abdul Khaliq Achakzai and declared the ECP’s decision as void, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The Court also declared the order of re-polling on 12 polling stations of Chaman’s PB-51 constituency.

The court sends back the matter to the election commission with the consent of candidates, ordering the ECP to decide the matter within 10 days after hearing the candidates.

“Under which rule the ECP ordered re-polling on 12 polling stations”, Justice Ameenuddin Khan questioned. “The election commission saw 12 polling stations and ignored others,” Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar said.

Justice Ameenuddin said that the election commission neither conducted inquire nor follow any principle.

“Only those polling stations were checked where maximum turnout of votes pointed out in petitions,” the ECP’s DG Law said.

Justice Mazhar said that the ECP should have conduct inquiry of the whole constituency.

The election commission had ordered re-polling in constituency on the plea of a rival candidate Muhammad Asghar Achakzai.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ameenuddin Khan heard the case.

The Election Commission had ordered the re-election at polling stations 56, 57, 61, 62, 79, 89, 90, 91, 95, 106, 129 and 130 of the PB-51 constituency.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai was elected unopposed as Speaker of Balochistan Assembly in February.