Supreme Court nullifies LHC’s decision on Punjab election tribunals

On Monday, the Supreme Court accepted the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) request challenging the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict from June 12.

The LHC had previously established election tribunals to handle petitions concerning national and provincial assembly seats in the February 8 general elections.

The Supreme Court announced a unanimous 5-0 verdict, reserved on September 24, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. The five-member bench included Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

The case centers on the authority to establish election tribunals, a matter that has sparked controversy between the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for several months.

The apex court stated that the LHC judge overlooked the lack of a meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Justice. The Court emphasised the need for caution in matters involving constitutional bodies. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail wrote an additional note, which was supported by Justice Aqeel Abbasi.