ECP chief tells SC that he is “being barred from performing my authority”

SLAMABAD :- The head of Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) stated that he was unable to use his authority and carry out constitutional responsibilities.

Sikandar Sultan Raja, the chief election commissioner, voiced his concerns to the Supreme Court of Pakistan during the hearing of a case involving the transfer of Ghulam Muhammad Dogar. When Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that elections should be conducted in accordance with the Constitution 90 days after the dissolution of the legislatures, he clarified the obstacles to conducting elections.

If polls weren’t conducted in 90, Justice Ahsan said, it would be against the Constitution, and he added that it was the ECP’s duty to conduct fair elections.

The remarks were made at a time when there is uncertainty surrounding polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissolved the legislatures in January of last year because the governors and electoral board had not set a date for the provinces’ elections.

Regarding election schedules, the Lahore High Court and Peshawar High Court are now hearing many lawsuits against the governors and ECP.
The army had excused itself from providing protection, and the judiciary was not prepared to furnish returning officials, bemoaned the top election commissioner (ROs). “We were rejected when funding were requested for elections,” he said. Mr. Raja further emphasised that the Constitution would be broken if the ECP chairman announced the poll date.

GHQ issues an apology for failing to provide security for the elections in Punjab, KP, and NA

Justice Ahsan said in his remarks on the transfers and postings made by the interim governments that the caretaker establishment had to provide good justification for the transfers and postings. The ECP head said that if a court order is granted, it would prevent the reassignment of government officials.

The hearing has been postponed by the highest court after ordering the CEC to produce a thorough report on the challenges he experienced in staging the elections.