Islamabad (Web Desk): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspended the ongoing training of District Returning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) in compliance with the orders of Lahore High Court (LHC).
According to an LHC spokesperson, the LHC suspended the ECP’s notification dated December 11, 2023, related to the appointment of 142 District Returning Officers (DROs), 859 Assistant Returning Officers (AROs), and Returning Officers from the executive for the upcoming General Elections 2024.
The comprehensive training for DROs and ROs began on Wednesday, December 13. Senior officers from the ECP conducted training sessions, focusing on election procedures, rules, and other administrative aspects.
The commission has scheduled a one-day training session for 142 DROs in all four provincial headquarters on December 16. This includes 40 officers from Punjab, 36 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 36 from Balochistan, and 30 from Sindh.
Likewise, 859 ROs are undergoing a two-day election training at their respective divisional levels from December 13 to 15. This comprises 441 ROs from Punjab, 160 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 191 from Sindh, and 67 from Balochistan.
Justice Ali Baqir Najafi of LHC suspended the ECP's December 11 notification to administer the February 8 general elections through bureaucracy in his verdict on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).