QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court on Monday suspended the local government election scheduled to be held in the provincial capital in August on a petition challenging delimitation by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

A two-member BHC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Kamran Mullahkhail and Justice Nazeer Ahmed Langove issued the order while hearing a constitutional petition moved by an ex-councillor Abdul Karim.

While the local government polls in 32 of total 34 districts had already been conducted in the last week of May, the ECP had scheduled election in Quetta and Lasbela districts along with some constituencies of Zhob, Musakhail, Mastung and Jaffarabad on August 28.

In the petition, the high court was apprised about public objections to the delimitation done in district Quetta. The petitioner urged the bench to suspend the scheduled election in Quetta district.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2022