ISLAMABAD  -  The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday suspended Balochistan High Court (BHC) decision in a petition filed against the delimi­tation carried out by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Balochistan.

A three-member bench of the SC headed by the acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood conducted hearing of the peti­tion and suspended the BHC’s decision observing that the an­nouncement of election date was not something ordinary and noted that the same had resulted in political stability.

During the hearing, Justice Masood asked from the plaintiff whether he did not want political stability in Pakistan.

The decision has come just a day after the apex court declared that no one can use the powers granted to the ECP under the Constitution and reversed the judgment passed by the Balo­chistan High Court which had gone for delimitation of two pro­vincial assembly constituencies in Sherani and Zhob.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah told the petitioner that they would not disturb the election date which is February 8 for the sake of such applications. He remarked that if you do not want elections on time then you should give a statement in court.

He also made it clear that they would not allow anyone to derail the elections. 

Justice Shah said that nothing could be done as the election schedule had been announced and entertaining individual petitions would af­fect the electoral process.

Justice Athar Minallah said that there should not be any delay in the elections and they would not allow anyone to do so.

In this matter, petitioner Mir Khan chal­lenged a Balochistan High Court decision about the PB-12 delimitation, which also raised a question that how the provincial top court had modified the delimitation of two constituencies in one case.

In this connection, the Supreme Court Monday last had declared that the objections against the delimitation of constituencies cannot be raised once the elections schedule was announced.

It was declared by the three-member bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Syed Man­soor Ali Shah, and Justice Athar Minallah while hearing the ECP petitions regarding objection on the delimitation of constituencies in Ba­lochistan. The court had removed further ob­stacles in the way of the general elections slat­ed for February 8.

The Commission had challenged the objec­tions to two constituencies in Zhob and Shira­ni made by the Balochistan High Court (BHC). However, the SC set aside the BHC’s order and accepted the ECP’s appeal.

The ECP on December 15 had issued the election programme in pursuant of the un­derstanding given by its office before the Supreme Court. From Sunday last the ECP resumed the training of district returning of­ficers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) across the country in line with the Supreme Court’s order.