Pakistan SC suspends ruling to postpone second phase of KP local polls

Pakistan's Supreme Court has suspended the verdict of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), postponing the second phase of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scheduled for March 27, local media reported.

A two-member bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ayesha A Malik, admitted for regular hearing the appeal of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the decision of the Peshawar High Court.

The order was issued in the wake of the verdict of the Peshawar High Court, Abbottabad circuit bench the other day that directed the ECP to postpone the second phase of the local government elections slated for March 27 in view of the snowfall and cold weather in the hilly areas.

The Supreme Court's bench had issued the order on the petitions jointly filed by Malik Aurangzeb, a resident of Kohistan and Sardar Nasir Aslam, a lawyer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and others.

The petitioners had argued before the court that it would be difficult to hold the polling in March in the hilly areas due to extreme cold and snowfall in these places. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), however, filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the PHC order.

In view of the verdict of the PHC, you are requested not to issue public notices to this effect till further orders, a circular issued to the returning officers and cited by The News International said.

The PHC's Abbottabad bench issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by a citizen who contended that various districts in the province would be shut by heavy snow in March, following which the voters would struggle to reach polling stations under severe cold and through snow-covered roads, Dawn reported.

The ECP had on January 20 announced the schedule and a code of conduct for the second phase of local government elections in 18 districts of the province. The first phase of elections was held in 17 districts on December 19.

( With inputs from ANI )

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