Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has requested the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the nomination of judicial officers for the Punjab Assembly elections to be held on April 30, 2023, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In a letter to the LHC chief justice (CJ), the party’s stalwart Fawad Chaudhry has said that in order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, DROs and ROs are always judicial officers. 

He informs the CJ that the PTI is stunned to learn that the LHC has turned down the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) request for the nomination of judicial officers. 

The letter further reads that in this regard the Supreme Court (SC), in its verdict dated March 1, 2023, has given clear instructions. 

Similarly, Fawad adds, articles 213, 218 and 220 of the constitution are also explicit in this regard. 

PTI leader writes that both the federal and Punjab governments have no missed no opportunity to cause harm to the party leaders and workers. “PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself has survived an assassination attempt, and has still not recovered from the wounds inflicted on him during the attack,” he writes, and adds, “Party leaders and workers are being implicated in fake cases in order to keep them from running election campaigns. The ECP, too, has failed to perform its duties.”

In these circumstances, Fawad says, if the elections are held under the supervision of the government officials rather than judicial officers, they will be by no means transparent and the people will not accept their results.    

PTI leader further writes that the party is aware that there is already lot of burden on courts. “But the issue of transparency in elections can’t be ignored either,” he adds. 

You are requested to revisit your decision of rejecting the ECP’s petition for the appointment of judicial officers.  

Reporter: Kifayat Ali Shah