Supreme Court orders three-member bench for PB-9 recount case

The Supreme Court has ordered that the case concerning the recount of votes in Balochistan’s PB-9 Kohlu constituency be

The Supreme Court has ordered that the case concerning the recount of votes in Balochistan’s PB-9 Kohlu constituency be placed before a three-member bench.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case.

During the proceedings, counsel for the petitioner Kamran Murtaza argued that under the relevant rules, a three-member bench could hear appeals against decisions of election tribunals. However, he said the Supreme Court’s newly introduced rules did not specifically mention election tribunals.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan observed that polling had taken place at four polling stations and that the main issue involved an unusually high turnout.

He noted that the Supreme Court had previously adjudicated cases involving implausible voter turnout. The judge said the current case also involved a turnout exceeding 80%.

After hearing the arguments, the court directed that the matter be fixed before a three-member bench and adjourned further proceedings until the second week of September.

Nawab Changez Marri of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won the PB-9 Kohlu seat. Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Naseebullah later challenged Marri’s victory, leading to the ongoing legal dispute over the election results.