The Supreme Court has foreclosed any possibility of delay in February 8 general elections as the apex court ruled that objection cannot be raised to the delimitation after the issuance of the election schedule.

A three-member bench led by acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah announced the decision while hearing an appeal against the delimitation of two provincial constituencies in Quetta.

The bench declared the Balochistan High Court ruling void.

The BHC had changed the delimitation of two provincial seats in Sherani and Zhob that were formed by the polls over seer. The ECP had challenged the high court’s decision.

At the hearing on Monday, Justice Minallah wondered how the high courts can exercise the rights which are bestowed on the ECP under the law.

Justice Shah said that the court has to draw a line pertaining to the issue.

The acting CJP was unable to understand why everyone was seeking election delay and called for holding polls.

Justice Masood remarked that all litigation related to constituencies has become ineffective after the issuance of election programme. The entire electoral process could not be affected in order to give relief to an individual, he added.

Justice Minallah said that everything stops when the election schedule was issued. He added that it was the biggest test of the ECP to hold transparent polls.

The ruling comes two days after the ECP issued the schedule for general elections, confirming that the elections would take place on February 8.

It was issued after a three-member SC bench suspended the Lahore High Court’s order against appointment of returning officers from bureaucracy across the country. The court ordered the ECP to issue the election schedule.

The proceedings of the case were live telecasted on TV and the SC website. The bench was led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and includes Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.

Amid criticism from different political parties, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan clarified that the party does not want election delay and demanded that the presence of returning officers (from executive) would show that elections would not be free and fair.

“The Supreme Court will tell why it thought. We are all the time in the SC in order to save it from getting derailed,” he said when asked why the apex court that the party wanted to derail democracy outside the Adiala Jail on Sunday.

SC’s decision paved way for ECP: Kunwar Dilshad

Former ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad said that the LHC should not have interfered in the election process, adding that the SC decision has paved the way for the polls overseer.

“Nomination papers will be accepted on December 22. The printing of ballot papers will start on January 12 and elections will be held on February 8,” he told Aaj News.

He was of the view that one day was enough for the training of ROs and DROs.

Dilshad went on to add that the electronic voting machines were flopped due to lack of understanding of the machines. The-then prime minister had announced his decision pertaining to the machine whereas it was the decision of the ECP to make such an announcement, he added.

“The right of overseas Pakistanis to vote is not common anywhere in the world,” the former ECP secretary said.