Pakistan Supreme Court deems delay in provincial polls illegal

According to three TV news channels and a lawyer, it has been reported on Tuesday (04) that Pakistan's Supreme Court has declared the election commission's delay of the votes as illegal and has ordered that the assembly elections in two provinces must take place by May 15.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's loyalists governed the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan has been advocating for nationwide elections since he was removed from office a year ago after failing to secure a vote of confidence.

Media reports indicate that the Election Commission of Pakistan had postponed the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to October 8th, citing inadequate resources, even though they were initially scheduled for April 30th. The Supreme Court has deemed this delay as illegal and has ordered that the voting take place between April 30th and May 15th.

Reporters were informed of the ruling by Ali Zafar, Khan's lawyer. However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declined Khan's demand for fresh elections, and his administration supported the election commission's postponement, claiming that holding elections during the country's economic crisis was impractical.

(With inputs from Reuters)