By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday cleared the way for the country’s general elections to be held on February 8, overturning a lower court order that had stalled the appointment of key electoral officials and threatened to derail the democratic process.
The apex court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, suspended the Lahore High Court’s ruling that had challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to appoint returning officers and district returning officers from the bureaucracy.
The court also directed the ECP to issue the election schedule by Friday night.
The decision came a day after the election commission had paused a training session for the returning officers, who are responsible for conducting the polls at the local level, following the Lahore court’s verdict.
The suspension of the training had fueled speculation that the elections could be delayed or disrupted, as the returning officers play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth vote.
The election commission had appointed more than a thousand returning officers across the country, drawing from various departments of the bureaucracy.
The move had led to widespread speculation elections would not be held in time as the election regulator needs to issue the elections schedule by Friday night in order for political parties to have a 54-day window for electioneering.
“Do your job,” Chief Justice of Isa ordered the ECP. “Issue the elections schedule tonight … We will not allow anybody to derail the democracy.”
In the evening, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja held a detailed meeting with the chief justice and other judges of the Supreme Court to reportedly discuss the Lahore High Court directive and ensuing situation.
Later, the ECP filed a petition in the top court against the Lahore High Court’s order, which was issued on a petition filed by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The PTI had sought the appointment of officials from the lower judiciary to oversee the polls, alleging that the bureaucrats were biased and incompetent.
The Supreme Court dismissed the PTI’s petition as “not maintainable” and rebuked its lawyer, Barrister Umair Khan Niazi, for trying to “derail democracy” with his plea.
The court also issued a show-cause notice to Niazi, asking him to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating the court’s earlier order that had affirmed the February 8 election date.
The court said the Lahore High Court had acted “well beyond” its territorial jurisdiction and “in undue haste” by suspending the ECP’s notification.
It said the high court judge had failed to appreciate that the electoral officers would be performing their duties throughout the country and had stopped their work “with a stroke of a pen”.
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