KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh on Tuesday issued directives for disposal of election petitions pending before different benches of SHC within two days.

According to a letter issued by the SHC registrar to the additional registrars of Sukkur, Larkana and Hyderabad circuits as well as the SHC principal seat at Karachi, the chief justice said that the general election 2018 was scheduled for July 25 while there was likelihood that some petitions/applications related to the elections either against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers or matters touching other aspects of the elections might hamper the election process in certain constituencies.

“Therefore, considering the importance and vitality of the issues pending before this court in said matters, office is directed to forthwith prepare a list of cases pending before this court in different benches for their decisions within two days positively by the concerned benches after providing due opportunity of hearing to both sides,” it added.

The letter said the office was further directed to place such a list of cases, including date by court cases and those without a specific date, before the benches for their perusal and further orders, including antedating the matters if no date was given.

As per a senior official of the Election Commission of Pakistan, over 100 election petitions are pending before different courts, including 81 in Sindh alone, posing a threat to the conduct of the July 25 elections on time.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018