Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court granted on Thursday a stay order against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision regarding re-election on a vacant National Assembly seat (NA-75) in Punjab’s Daska. A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, restrained the election commission from holding re-polling in the constituency on April 10. The court instructed the ECP not to put the entire electoral process on hold and but just delay re-polling. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to order re-polling at all polling stations in NA-75. The petition was moved by PTI candidate from Daska Ali Asjad Malhi. On Feb 25, ECP had ordered a re-election in the NA-75 Sialkot-Daska constituency over alleged rigging.
Moreover, the ECP had also ordered suspension of the relevant deputy commissioner, district police officer (DPO), assistant commissioner and SPDO Daska over “rigging” during the by-poll in the NA-75 constituency.
