The Federal Constitutional Court has issued a stay order on the local government elections scheduled to be held in Quetta on December 28.
The court questioned why elections are being conducted on the basis of the 2017 census despite the official notification of the 2023 census, and sought responses from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government.
The case was heard by a three-member bench of the Federal Constitutional Court headed by Chief Justice Ameen-ud-Din. Petitioner Abdul Qadir was represented in court by Advocate Kamran Murtaza.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that local government constituencies in Quetta were delineated on the basis of the 2017 census, even though the 2023 census has already been formally notified. He maintained that under the law, local government elections must be held on the basis of fresh delimitations conducted according to the latest census.
After hearing the arguments, the court suspended the elections and issued notices to all concerned parties, seeking their replies.
