The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s claims of a further delay to the Feb. 8, 2024 general elections, stressing such allegations were aimed at “misguiding” the public.
Earlier this week, the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended an ECP notification requesting returning officers (ROs) from the bureaucracy for the upcoming polls on a petition of the PTI. As a consequence, the electoral schedule risks derailment, with the ECP suspending ongoing training of officials pending resolution of the case.
Since the order was issued, both the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have accused the PTI of seeking a delay to the polls, noting the party had no issues with the bureaucracy serving election duties during the 2018 polls. In a statement, PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif said the PTI was conspiring to defer the general elections, adding its plea before the LHC amounted to sabotaging people’s representation.
“The PTI’s petition in the high court is a plot to run away from the elections. PTI is hatching a conspiracy against the Feb. 8 general elections just like cipher. As always, the PTI is applying double-standard and hypocritical policy here,” he said, adding if there were any further delay to the polls, it would be because of the PTI.
Similarly, PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi questioned why a party that claimed to be the most popular in the country wanted to delay elections.
Amidst the mounting criticism, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan told media there were “fears” that the elections could be delayed as the “election commission has already moved elections forward by making excuses.” Lamenting that the electoral body was to issue the election schedule on Thursday, he questioned why it had not yet done so.
Responding to the criticism, the ECP issued a statement saying the PTI chairman had levelled “allegations against the commission of delaying polls. We reject these claims which are aimed at misguiding the people.” Clarifying that the polls would take place on Feb. 8, and that all preparations for the same were complete, it added: “In connection with the polls, district returning officers and returning officers were appointed and their training was also underway.”
However, noted the statement, the PTI challenged the appointment of the officers before the LHC and as a result, their appointments were suspended. “Following their suspension, the commission is now contemplating the situation and will soon announce a plan of action. However, the commission cannot be blamed in any manner for the current situation,” it added.
Several electoral experts have warned that if the LHC case is not resolved speedily, it would inevitably lead to a delay in the conduct of polls, as the schedule cannot be issued until the training of staff has been completed. They have also noted that the only reason the bureaucracy was employed is because the judiciary had refused to provide its officers for election duties, as demanded by the PTI.