In a major development ahead of the upcoming polls, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to conduct general elections in Punjab using executive appointments.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi delivered the ruling on a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which contested the appointment of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) from the Punjab bureaucracy for the general elections.
While delivering the verdict, Justice Najafi also issued notices to relevant parties, including the caretaker federal and Punjab governments and the ECP.
The LHC’s five-page order highlighted concerns about the expenditure of billions of rupees by the impoverished populace for the elections, noting the potential wastage of national resources if the major political parties did not accept the election results. It emphasized the ECP’s responsibility to ensure free and fair elections.
The PTI had approached the LHC, challenging the caretaker provincial government’s decision to appoint bureaucrats as ROs for the upcoming general elections. The PTI requested that the ECP begin consultations with the LHC’s chief justice for appointing judicial officers as DROs and ROs, as per Sections 50 and 51 of the Elections Act 2017.
The ECP had announced February 8, 2024, as the date for the general elections in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives. The notification outlined the roles of provincial election commissioners, deputy commissioners, and assistant deputy commissioners in administering oaths and overseeing the election process for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.
