- Bazai’s membership was reinstated after the court’s interim ruling.
- The ECP disqualified him at the request of NA President Ayaz Sadiq.
- Bazai, MP from Quetta, accused of crossing the floor.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has stayed the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and reinstated Adil Bazai to the National Assembly.
The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, which included Justice Aqeel Abbasi and Justice Ayesha A Malik.
The court postponed further proceedings until December 12.
The Election Commission had disqualified Bazai, an MP from Quetta, on November 21 following a request from National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Bazai then approached the Supreme Court to challenge the disqualification.
Earlier, the commission acted after PML-N president Nawaz Sharif accused Bazai of defying party policy by siding with the opposition during the adoption of the 26th constitutional amendment.
The audience
Bazai was removed from the post by the ECP under Section 63-A, according to Taimoor Aslam, lawyer for the petitioner. He argued that the election commission failed to adequately examine the facts or summon Bazai for an investigation.
Aslam argued that the issue of Bazai’s affidavits was already being considered by a civil court, raising questions over the ECP’s jurisdiction in the matter.
Justice Shah questioned whether the ECP had the power to take cognizance of a matter pending before a civil court. He pointed out that Bazai had two affidavits and claimed he had only signed one.
Justice Ayesha also questioned whether the ECP could initiate an investigation into allegations of fraud, suggesting that the scope of the ECP’s authority needed to be clarified before proceeding further.
Justice Shah highlighted the seriousness of the removal of an elected official, emphasizing that it was not a trivial matter and required careful consideration of all aspects. Bazai had challenged the ECP’s decision to remove him from the post of Member of National Assembly from NA-262 Quetta.