PHC rejects PTI plea seeking polls under judiciary’s supervision
- By Web Desk -
- Jan 25, 2024
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition seeking to hold February 8 polls under the supervision of the judiciary, ARY News reported.
PHC bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan and Justice Shakeel Ahmad announced the reserved verdict. The court announced the verdict after hearing arguments from the parties.
The PTI petition, field by Muazzam Butt, maintained that the election should be conducted under the supervision of the judiciary, fearing that the elections to be held on Feb 8, 2024 may not be transparent.
The petitioner’s counsel filed an amendment petition seeking annulment of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised the scheme for polling stations, with sources claiming that over 92,000 polling stations would be set up across the country for the upcoming general elections, slated for Feb 8, 2024.
The comprehensive polling scheme will be publicly released days before the election date, currently scheduled for February 8th. This transparent approach aims to ensure informed participation and address any potential concerns well in advance of polling day.
The plan delineates the distribution of polling stations across all four provinces and the federal capital. The polling stations have been categorized as normal, sensitive, and highly sensitive based on the security situation and the history of electoral violence.
Sources told ARY that a total of 92,353 polling stations would be set up across the country.
According to the draft of the scheme prepared by the ECP, a total of 52,412 polling stations will be established in Punjab for the general elections.
Of the total, 6,040 polling stations in Punjab have been declared highly sensitive. Whereas, 15,617 polling stations in the province have been declared sensitive.