Pakistan's 8 February elections hit snag after Lahore HC ruling on returning officers, district returning officers

Following a Lahore High Court ruling that suspended a notification from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the appointment of returning officers (RO) and district returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy, the election watchdog abruptly halted a three-day training session for ROs just one day after it commenced. According to a Dawn report, the order, prompted by a petition from the PTI, appears to have brought the electoral process to a standstill, raising widespread concerns among political parties, including the petitioner PTI. The impending general elections, scheduled for 8 February next year, are now uncertain, added the report. The PTI, in its petition before the high court, challenged the appointment of bureaucrats as DROs and ROs for the upcoming general elections and advocated for the selection of officials from the lower judiciary for the polling exercise. Previously anticipated to announce the election schedule within the week, the ECP now finds itself in a state of uncertainty. An ECP official said the schedule’s release is contingent upon the final verdict in the case concerning the appointment of DROs and ROs. “The ROs are the ones who issue public notices inviting nominations and also receive and scrutinise nomination papers. An election schedule cannot be issued in the absence of ROs,” Dawn quoted him as saying. “In fact, it is the job of the ROs to implement the schedule,” the official added. The official said the appointment of ROs adhered to the law and expressed astonishment at the late Wednesday night court ruling. He identified another obstacle in the form of delimitation cases referred back to the election watchdog by high courts for reconsideration. The official asserted that any delays in elections would be the responsibility of the judiciary, not the ECP. While suggesting that intervention from the Supreme Court could alleviate uncertainty, the official noted that an ECP spokesperson denied any plans to approach the Supreme Court against the LHC order. In contrast, the PTI insisted on the issuance of a poll schedule within 24 hours, stating that the election watchdog had sufficient time to appoint DROs and ROs from the lower judiciary. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan accused the Election Commission of Pakistan of using excuses to postpone elections in the past. “The ECP had to issue the schedule for the elections but it did not. District administration officers cannot be appointed as ROs because they can be involved in rigging. That is why we demanded to take ROs from the judiciary,” he told Dawn. “PTI is the only party which has been making efforts for elections for the last two years, but ECP has been trying to avoid it. We demand the ECP announce the election schedule within 24 hours,” he added. He also called on the Supreme Court to ensure that the elections were held on time, as suspension of the DROs and ROs could not be a justification for the delay. Reacting to his remarks, an ECP spokesman said the commission could not be held responsible for the present situation. With inputs from agencies