QUETTA, May 17: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court dismissed on Friday a petition filed against re-polling ordered by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) at two polling stations of NA-269 Khuzdar.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mohammad Noor Meskanzai said it would be inappropriate for the court in its constitutional jurisdiction to interfere in discretionary powers of the ECP unless the commission had acted illegally.

The petition was filed by Maulvi Qamaruddin of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl. A report by the returning officer in Khuzdar and duly endorsed by the provincial election commissioner had directed re-polling at polling stations No 142 and 143 on May 21.

Counsel for the petitioner, Kamran Murtaza, pleaded that there was no justification for re-polling because Maulvi Qamaruddin had secured 25,476 votes against his closest rival Mir Rauf Mengal of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal who had bagged 24,990 votes.

The court observed that the result could be changed after re-polling because there was a difference of only 486 votes between the votes secured by Maulvi Qamaruddin and Mr Mengal.