Supreme Court Suspends Election Commission’s Decision to De-seat Adil Bazi

Islamabad: The Supreme Court’s regular bench, headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, has temporarily suspended the Election Commission’s decision to de-seat Adil Bazi, a member of the National Assembly from NA-262 Quetta, which was issued on November 21. The bench included Justice Aqeel Abbasi and Justice Ayesha Malik.
During the hearing, Adil Bazi’s lawyer, Taimoor Aslam, referred to decisions regarding reserved seats, which led to a light-hearted exchange between the judges. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, smiling, asked Taimoor Aslam whether he intended to rely on the decision regarding reserved seats. Justice Aqeel Abbasi remarked that the lawyer seemed to suggest a constitutional amendment had already been made. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah further questioned whether the implementation of the reserved seats decision had taken place.
Justice Ayesha Malik inquired whether the reserved seats decision could be relevant to this case and whether Adil Bazi was included in the list of 81 members holding reserved seats.
The regular bench observed that the Election Commission cannot issue a declaration in this case. The court also noted that determining which party an individual belongs to is a matter for the civil court, not the Election Commission.
Taimoor Aslam argued that the Election Commission had de-seated Adil Bazi under Article 63-A, but the commission had not conducted a proper inquiry nor summoned Bazi for questioning.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah raised the question of how the Election Commission could act on a case that was pending in a civil court regarding Bazi’s affidavits. Justice Ayesha Malik asked whether the Election Commission could investigate fraud in this case, referring to Bazi’s two conflicting affidavits.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that the matter of the Election Commission’s jurisdiction needed to be settled first, as removing a member from the assembly was not a trivial action and required careful consideration of all aspects.
The Supreme Court accepted Bazi’s appeal for an initial hearing and issued notices to the Election Commission and other relevant parties. The case has been adjourned until December 12 for further proceedings.