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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission has postponed the by-election scheduled to be held on May 24 for the Balochistan Assembly constituency, PB-26, Jaffarabad-II.
The Supreme Court had earlier questioned the legitimacy of the previously held by-elections in the light of the 18th Amendment.
Justice Javed Iqbal of the Supreme Court, who is the acting Chief Election Commissioner in the absence of Justice (retd) Hamid Ali Mirza, rescheduled on Saturday the PB-26 by-election to July 9 with the hope that by then the government would be able to constitute the Election Commission and resolve the controversy over the validity of the polls held by the commission that did not meet the criteria of the 18th Amendment.
While hearing two petitions filed by Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Mubasher Lucman, a TV anchor, the Supreme Court had given three weeks’ time to the government to resolve the controversy.
The acting CEC observed that in view of the obligatory constitutional provisions, all the elections held to fill the casual vacancies in the Senate, National Assembly and the provincial assemblies had become questionable after the 18th Amendment.
He said the apex court had time and again stressed the need for the completion of the composition of the commission in accordance with Article 218(a-b) of the Constitution.
He said no concrete progress had so far been made by the government regarding the appointment of the members of the commission and there should be no action in deviation of relevant provisions of the Constitution and directives given by the court, which were binding on everyone.
