ISLAMABAD
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa on Friday. Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were also present on the occasion.
Besides the justices, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan also attended the meeting. Sources said that CEC Raja informed the chief justice of the preparations being made by the ECP for the general elections slated to be held on February 8, 2024.
It is feared that the general elections might face a delay after a Lahore High Court order suspended a notification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the appointment of returning officers (RO) and district returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy, the election watchdog on Thursday stopped a three-day session to train ROs, only a day after its commencement.
The high court order, which came in response to a petition submitted by the PTI, has seemingly brought the electoral process to a standstill, causing widespread concern among political parties — including the petitioner PTI — regarding general elections which are scheduled to be held on Feb 8 next year.
On Nov 3, the Election Commission submitted a notification in the Supreme Court pertaining to the poll date. According to the notification “… the Election Commission of Pakistan in exercise of its powers under Article 57(1) of the Elections Act and all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby announces February 8, 2024, as poll date for the general elections.”
After months of uncertainty, the electoral body and President Dr Arif Alvi agreed on the date for elections. The development came after Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja visited the Presidency on orders of the apex court, which had taken up pleas regarding elections.
During an earlier SC hearing, the ECP had proposed Feb 11 as the date for polls but it was asked by the SC to approach the president for consultations. It had also instructed the commission to settle the matter of appointing the election date and inform the court.
Later, AGP Mansoor Usman Awan submitted the electoral body’s election notification (dated Nov 3) to the three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan.
