ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court ruling on a petition filed by the embattled PTI has created uncertainty about holding of the general elections on February 8.
While suspending the training of district returning officers snd other election officials, the Election Commission of Pakistan said that it should not be blamed for any delay to the polls as the move was taken on direction of the court.
The PTI filed a petition in Lahore High Court against appointment of the deputy commissioner of each district as the district returning officer. In the past, the sessions judges worked as the district returning officers across the country.
The PTI contended that by appointing bureaucrats as the returning officers the government wanted to rig the elections.
The petition sought a stay in the election commission’s training of the election officers.
The court accepted the plea and issued notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan and others.
Soon after the verdict, the ECP suspended the training across the country, creating uncertainty about the holding of the elections on Feb 8.
The PTI is of the view that election supervisory staff should be from the judiciary as was the case in the all the past elections to ensure transparency in the process.
On the other hand, the PML-N said that the PTI wants to get the elections delayed. It said that the PTI had not raised any objections to the appointment of bureaucrats in the 2018 elections.
Other parties also accused the PTI of trying to delay the elections, with the PPP saying that further delay in the elections would not be tolerated.
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