Election tribunal declares NA deputy speaker's election as null, void

• Election was challenged by BNP's Lashkari Raeesan.
• ECP has ordered re-election in NA-265 constituency.

The Balochistan High Court's election tribunal declared on Friday the election of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri as void.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Abdullah Baloch, had reserved its verdict in the matter earlier this month. The election tribunal has ordered a re-election in NA-265 constituency, local media reported.

A petition was filed against the election of the deputy speaker by Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Lashkari Raeesani. In his petition, Raeesani alleged that there was rigging in the 2018 general election. He was among the five candidates to have contested from the constituency. 

However, he had lost to Suri, who later was elected NA deputy speaker after receiving 183 votes. Raeesani further said that 114,000 votes were cast during the polls in NA-265 constituency out of which a number of votes were declared invalid.