PTI 'disapointed' after SC verdict against LHC ruling: chairman

PTI Chairman leader Barrister Gohar Khan. — Wikimedia Commons/File

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the Supreme Court (SC) verdict suspending the Lahore High Court's (LHC) ruling pertaining to the appointment of election officers for the upcoming general elections slated for February 8, 2024.

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, speaking to media persons in Islamabad after meeting former party chief Imran Khan, once again called for the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from the judiciary.

Stressing that the PTI is trying to prevent democracy from being "derailed", the PTI chief categorically opposed any delay in the polls and reiterated the party's demand for "free and fair" elections.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on December 14 stopped the training of the returning officers (RO) and district returning officers (DRO) for the upcoming elections, after the high court suspended the electoral body's notification for the officers' appointment from bureaucracy.

The LHC ruling, which was issued PTI's petition challenging the bureaucrats' appointments of bureaucrats, turned out to be a hiccup in the polling process as it jeopardised the polls' conduct on the designated date.

The newly appointed chief of PTI — which had sought the appointment of ROs and DROs from the judiciary for the poll exercise in its petition — said it was the right of every party to present its reservations before the court.

"The way of justice will be obstructed if you start sending notices to the petitioners," Gohar said while referring to SC's contempt of court notice to PTI's Umair Niazi, who was the appellant in the LHC.

“We plead to the Supreme Court to listen to our grievances. Nobody will turn to the apex court for free and fair polls if contempt of court notices are issued,” he said,

Gohar added that PTI would not boycott the elections, come what may, as he reiterated the party's demand to hold free and fair elections.

The PTI chairman further stated that the ECP had assured his party of providing a level playing field, but they are still not allowed to hold workers’ conventions.

“We respect the SC ruling but we should be given the level playing field,” he maintained.

Following much deliberation over measures to avoid delay in holding sought-after general elections in the aftermath of the LHC ruling, the SC Friday evening suspended the high court's order.

The apex court's order stated that the LHC bench issued an order exceeding its jurisdiction.

"The SC declared in its [November 3] order that no one will be allowed to derail the democracy," it said, adding that the president and the ECP decided the poll date after consensus among all the stakeholders.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, while reading out the order, also issued a contempt of court notice to the PTI lawyer, seeking an explanation for violating the apex court's order.