ECP issues election schedule after SC’s intervention

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday night issued the much-awaited schedule for the general polls, set to take place on February 8, 2024, following the Supreme Court’s order. The polling process begins four days from today, December 19, when the returning officer (RO) will issue a public notice, while the ECP also resumed the training for the ROs and district returning officers (DROs). The election programme also applies to the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and four provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. The commission issued the election schedule late at night in line with the Supreme Court’s orders. In a hiccup to the polling process, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had suspended the commission’s notification for the appointment of the ROs and DROs from the executive branch — in defiance of the SC’s orders. The LHC’s verdict was issued on a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — the same party that had called for timely polls in a plea filed in the Supreme Court. Due to the LHC’s order, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja met with senior officials to ensure that everything went according to plan. Following detailed deliberations, the commission filed a petition in the top court seeking the annulment of the LHC’s order. The SC accepted the plea a few hours back, putting the process back on track. The political parties had also voiced concerns against a possible delay in the elections, noting that it was crucial for the democracy that polls take place on February 8. In a statement a day earlier, the ECP had also rebuffed claims of the PTI that the upcoming general polls could be delayed, claiming that “all preparations” were completed.