PHC seeks reply on PTI’s plea for elections under judiciary’s supervision

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has sought a reply from parties on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) plea for conducting general elections under the supervision of the judiciary, ARY News reported on Friday.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) heard the PTI’s petition seeking general elections under the judiciary’s supervision. The petition was heard by the PHC’s two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and Justice Shakeel Ahmad.

The PHC bench issued notices to the parties and sought a reply in the next hearing.

The hearing was adjourned till December 18.

Related: CJP Isa-led bench begins hearing ECP plea against LHC order

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in November seeking directives for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold forthcoming general polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under the supervision of the judiciary.

Additionally, the political party had moved the Lahore High Court, challenging the appointment of bureaucrats by the caretaker provincial government in Punjab, to act as returning officers (ROs) for the upcoming general elections.

The petition sought the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to be directed to initiate a consultation process with LHC’s chief justice for the appointment of judicial officers as DROs and ROs under Sections 50 and 51 of the Elections Act 2017 for the polls in 2024.

Related: Elections cannot be delayed over LHC RO’s verdict: PTI chief

Later on December 13, the LHC Justice Ali Baqar Najafi recommended the LHC Chief Justice (CJ) to form a larger bench on the petition. He urged the LHC Chief Justice (CJ) to form a larger bench on this ‘important issue’ while forwarding the case file to the latter.

However, the LHC’s verdict raised questions on the organisation of the general polls on the date prescribed by the election commission, February 8, 2024.

In a relevant development today, a three-member Supreme Court (SC) bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, began hearing a plea by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) order suspending the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy.