Islamabad High Court Reserves Decision on Plea to Halt Sargodha PP-73 By-Election

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has reserved its judgment on a petition seeking to stop the by-election in Punjab Assembly constituency PP-73 Sargodha.

According to reports, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro reserved the decision after hearing arguments from both sides in a petition filed by Sheikh Mukhtar, head of the Pasban-e-Watan Pakistan Party.

The petitioner’s lawyer argued that his client intended to contest the by-election, but the Election Commission did not allow him to submit nomination papers. The lawyer noted that the by-election had been postponed in September due to floods, yet the petitioner was not given an opportunity to file his papers under the new schedule.

During proceedings, Justice Soomro inquired why the PP-73 seat had fallen vacant. The Election Commission’s lawyer explained that PTI MPA Ansar Iqbal Haral was disqualified following a sentence in the May 9 case, resulting in the vacancy.

The Election Commission’s lawyer stated that the by-election schedule has already been issued, symbols allotted, and ballot papers printed. At this stage, it is not feasible to halt the election based on a single petition. He also pointed out that the Pasban-e-Watan Pakistan Party was registered on October 20; had it been registered by October 13, its candidate could have contested the election. He added that delaying the election now would be inappropriate, given the significant costs involved in printing ballot papers.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict, which will be announced at a later date.