by Rizwan Shehzad in The Express Tribune, Dec 15, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the much-awaited election schedule for the general elections to be held on Feb 8, 2024, after the Supreme Court suspended an order of the subordinate judiciary, which had led to pausing the training of the returning officers responsible for monitoring electoral activities and casting a shadow over timely elections.
A cloud of potential delay loomed large on general elections and uncertainty surrounded the country for a brief period after a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the training of officers tasked with supervising electoral activities over a PTI petition.
Soon after the decision, the interim government spokesperson and bigwigs of the political parties not only started raising alarms about the fate of general elections but also blamed the PTI for allegedly delaying polls beyond the scheduled date of Feb 8, 2024.
For roughly 24 hours, the country was gripped with apprehensions about the polls’ fate as it was feared that the elections would not be held on Feb 8 as announced by ECP and President Dr Arif Alvi after the SC intervened in the matter, vowing no one would be allowed to delay the elections beyond the announced date and derail democracy.
Though the ECP was quick to issue a statement on Thursday denying the news items that it was mulling on approaching the top court against the LHC order, it had to chew its words on Friday when it approached the apex court seeking its help to continue election activities for holding timely elections.
Subsequently, the SC suspended the LHC order, noting that the high court judge committed misconduct by suspending the elections notification and ordered the ECP to immediately issue the election schedule so that polls were not delayed.
The ECP complied with the direction and issued the election schedule……
Initially, the year 2023 was dubbed as the election year but several factors, including the previous PML-N led coalition government’s decision to approve census results just days before dissolving the National Assembly three days’ ahead of its five-year term and the tussle between the ECP and the president over the announcement of polls’ date, contributed to taking the polls to the year 2024.
Though the elections have already been delayed beyond the constitutionally mandated 90-day period, the Supreme Court recently pushed the ECP to approach the president for finalising the polls’ date and once the date was finalised, it vowed that no one would be allowed to delay the polls any further come what may.
Friday’s late-night proceedings at the top court demonstrated its commitment as it not only took notice of the LHC’s decision but directed the ECP to announce the election schedule before the clock changed the date…….
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2450126/ecp-issues-election-schedule-after-scs-intervention
