ISLAMABAD: While arrangements were finalised by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to hold its executive council elections across the country on Saturday, the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi bench, stayed the polling in Punjab.

However, the elections will be held in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan as scheduled on Saturday. The date for the elections in Punjab will be announced after December 11, the date fixed for the hearing of the petition filed by Dr Syed Asad Ali, who was contesting the elections on a seat of medical practitioners.

PMDC Registrar retired Brig Dr Hafizuddin Ahmed Siddiqui told Dawn that the petitioner contended before the court that the Punjab chief minister`s adviser on health had exempted all doctors from the local government election duties and directed them to remain in their hospitals to meet any emergency. The petitioner said as the LG elections were also scheduled to be held in a number of districts in Punjab the same day, his supporters may not be able to cast their votes.

On August 28, President Mamnoon Hussain promulgate d the PMDC Amendment Ordinance 2015 after which the executive council of the PMDC was dissolved. A new management committee was formed and tasked with holding the elections within 120 days. The chief justice of Pakistan nominated retired Justice Tariq Pervez as the chairman of the election committee. The committee decided to hold the elections of the council on December 5.

An official of the PMDC said, `At 3pm, we got the news that a stay order has been issued by the LHC against the elections. But it was not clear if the elections should be postponed all over the country or not.

A statement issued by the PMDC said the single judge of the LHC stayed the PMDC elections in Punjab till further orders.

`Therefore, the PMDC elections for all seats in the province of Punjab would be held on a date to be announced after the final order of the court.`-A Reporter