The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the order of an election tribunal that had de-seated National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri alleging irregularities in the election process.

Suri had challenged his disqualification by the Election Tribunal in apex court. and the decision wad made on the decision early on Monday. 

A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and including Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, heard the case.

Counsel of Qasim Suri, Advocate Naeem Bukhari, had filed a petition in the SC, pleading to declare the decision of the Balochistan High Court election tribunal as void.

In the petition, he stated that irregularities in the electoral process could not be attributed to his client [Qasim Suri].

When the SC took up the matter today, Bukhari argued that Suri bagged 25973 votes while his rival, Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani, could only get 20089 votes.

After hearing the arguments, the court suspended the order and restored Suri’s NA membership till the matter is decided by the court.

It may be mentioned that on September 27, the BHC’s election tribunal declared election of Qasim Khan Suri as null and void and ordered re-election in NA-265 constituency.