QUETTA: Justice Shakeel Ahmed Baloch, a judge of the Balochistan High Court (BHC), resigned on Thursday.

BHC Registrar Nazir Langov, while announcing the resignation in a press release, said the judge had cited “personal reasons” for his decision.

Justice Baloch sent his resignation to the BHC chief justice who will forward it to the president.

Justice Baloch was appointed to the high court in 2013 and was to retire on Aug 1 after attaining the age of 62 years.

The reason behind his resignation is not known, but some senior lawyers are of the view that he might be nominated as a member of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from Balochistan.

Four members of the commission retired last month after completing their term. They included retired Justice Fazalur Rehman Bazai from Balochistan.

The Supreme Court has asked the federal government to appoint four members of the commission by July 26.

Sources said that after tendering his resignation Justice Baloch had become eligible for his appointment as an ECP member.

“If his name is chosen by the opposition parties or the government, he will not face any opposition from any side,” said Hadi Shakeel, a former president of the Balochistan Bar Association.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2016