Pakistan top court rules provincial polls delay illegal, orders voting

FILE PHOTO: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that assembly elections in two provinces should go ahead by May 15 after it ruled that an election commission delay of the votes was illegal, three TV news channels and a lawyer said.

The provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were governed by loyalists of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been pushing for elections throughout the country since he was ousted a year ago after losing a vote of confidence.