QUETTA: The National Party (NP) has taken a decisive legal step to oppose the postponement of Quetta’s local government elections, announcing it will become an official party in the constitutional petition filed by ruling coalition members seeking a delay.
The decision was confirmed by NP’s Balochistan President, Aslam Baloch, who stated the party would file its intervention petition through the National Party Lawyers Forum at the Balochistan High Court at 11 a.m. today.
In a strong statement, Aslam Baloch asserted the National Party’s democratic credentials and its unwavering stance against the deferral of the polls. “The National Party is a democratic party and is in no way in favor of postponing the local government elections,” he declared. He further emphasized the party’s readiness to contest, vowing, “The National Party will participate enthusiastically in the elections and will not give the ruling parties a chance to flee.”
This legal move sets the stage for a courtroom confrontation over the electoral schedule. The ruling alliance, comprising the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), had previously approached the high court seeking to postpone the LG elections. The hearing for their petition is scheduled for December 23.
The NP’s constitutional application will be filed by Advocate Raheb Khan Balidi, leader of the party’s Lawyers Forum, along with other forum members. By intervening, the NP aims to present arguments in favor of holding the elections as scheduled, framing the issue as a test of democratic principles versus political avoidance. This action underscores the growing political tension in Balochistan surrounding the much-delayed local government polls.
Meanwhile Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Balochistan leader Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey has demanded that the upcoming local body elections in Quetta proceed as scheduled on December 28, criticizing attempts by some parties to seek a postponement through the courts as “tantamount to running away from the election.”
Speaking to media in Loralai, the provincial ameer launched a broadside against the federal and provincial governments, expressing dissatisfaction with their overall performance. He highlighted “a lack of good governance,” rampant unemployment, and a severe water crisis forcing people to migrate.
