Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court (SC) is hearing a petition by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) challenging the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) order suspending the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Sardar Tariq Masood is presiding over the hearing.
The development comes a day after the ECP suspended the ongoing training of ROs and DROs in compliance with the orders of 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.
Justice Ali Baqir Najafi of LHC had Wednesday night ruled on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) plea, which contended that the electoral body's move to appoint DROs and ROs from bureaucracy would hinder the prospects of impartial and transparent elections.
Accepting the PTI's plea, Justice Najafi suspended the ECP's notification and referred the matter to the LHC chief justice, recommending constituting a larger bench to hear the case.
More to follow….