SC restores NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, suspends election tribunal verdict

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended the verdict of the election tribunal and restored National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on Monday. A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial heard the appeal. The court ruled that the ECP should not hold the election in the constituency till the final verdict of the case. Later, the court postponed the hearing sine die. On October 2, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday de-notified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Qasim Suri as member of National Assembly (NA). According to a notification, former NA deputy speaker was de-notified in light of a decision by an election tribunal. On September 27, the Election Tribunal of Balochistan declared National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri’s election from NA-265 (Quetta) null and void, and ordered reelection in the National Assembly constituency won by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The election tribunal declared the election victory of the NA deputy speaker NA-265 as null and void. The tribunal ordered re-election in the constituency of NA-265. The election tribunal was headed by Justice Abdullah Baloch. The verdict was announced on the base of National Database & Registration Authority’s (Nadra) report. It the report, the Nadra identified more than 52,000 votes unverified, however, the election tribunal ruled in the light of the Nadra’s report.