Pakistan: Top poll body issues election schedule following Supreme Court’s order

Pakistan’s top poll body, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) late Friday (Dec 15) issued the election schedule for the upcoming general polls all set to start on February 8, 2024.

The schedule was released hours after a ruling from the country’s Supreme Court that quashed an observation from the Lahore High Court (LHC) which stated that bureaucrats can’t be appointed as returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs).

The apex court had also ordered the ECP to release the schedule as early as possible.

The polling process in the country will now start on December 19, when the returning officer (RO) will issue a public notice, while the ECP will also resume training for the ROs and district returning officers (DROs).

Earlier on Wednesday (Dec 13), while responding to a plea filed by ex-PM Imran Khan’s PTI party, the LHC had halted the appointments of bureaucrats to act as DROs and ROs for the upcoming general elections.

Subsequently, the ECP suspended a notification regarding the appointment of DROs, ROs, and AROs, that raised concerns over potential further delays in the election process, which is already running overdue by two months.

But on Friday (Dec 15), the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Esa summoned the Election Commission and discussed the situation following the high court’s decision.

Later, the ECP filed a petition in the SC against the LHC order, after which a three-judge bench of the apex court suspended the Lahore High Court decision.

Esa warned that the top court will not allow anyone to delay the elections and ordered the ECP to issue the schedule.

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“The high court order seemingly brought the electoral process to a standstill, causing widespread concern among political parties — including the petitioner PTI — regarding general elections,” the Supreme Court said in a statement.

Hours later, the ECP released the election schedule for Feb 8.

“[ECP] hereby calls upon the election of the National Assembly and the Provincial Assemblies of the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to elect their representatives from each of the constituencies to the General Seats,” said a notification from the ECP, which also provided dates for various election activities.

(With inputs from agencies)