WTP Report
ISLAMABAD : Pakistan started moving closer to the much-awaited general elections as the country’s top electoral body started receiving nomination papers from today (Wednesday) till Friday.
According to a notification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the initial list of candidates would be published on Dec 23 followed by the scrutiny of their nomination papers from Dec 24 to 30.
The deadline for filing appeals against the decisions made by returning officers (ROs) on accepting or rejecting nomination papers is Jan 3, while the appellate tribunals are scheduled to announce their verdicts by Jan 10.
Meanwhile, the revised list of candidates will be published on Jan 11 and the last date for withdrawing one’s candidature is Jan 12.
It was also stated in the ECP notification that the election programme shall also apply to the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the National and provincial assemblies.
The ECP will allot election symbols to the candidates on Jan 13 with the final lists to be shared on the next day as Feb 8 has been fixed for the countrywide polls both at national and provincial levels.
Electioneering gaining momentum is a great sign for Pakistan to ensure political stability in the country after some circles created doubts by launching an organised propaganda that the polls would be delayed for one reason or the other.
WON’T ALLOW ANYONE TO DERAIL ELECTIONS
Electioneering gaining momentum is a great sign for Pakistan to ensure political stability in the country after some circles created doubts by launching an organised propaganda that the polls would be delayed for one reason or the other.
However, the Supreme Court came to the rescue of the 240 million people by thwarting the efforts and plugging the loopholes which could delay elections.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected another petition filed against the delimitations carried out by the ECP, as Justice Sardar Tariq Masood – the senior most judge who is currently serving as the acting chief justice – asked the plaintiff whether he did not want political stability in Pakistan.
The latest decision comes just a day after the apex court declared that no one could use the powers granted to the ECP under the constitution, reversing the judgment passed by the Balochistan High Court which had gone for delimitation of two provincial assembly constituencies in Sherani and Zhob.
As a three-member bench headed by the acting chief justice heard the matter, he observed that the announcement of election date wasn’t something ordinary and noted that the move had resulted in political stability.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah told the petitioner that they would not disturb the election date – February 8 – for the sake of such applications. “If you don’t want elections on time then you should give a statement in court, he remarked.
The Supreme Court judge also made it clear that they would not allow [anyone] to derail elections – very important remarks given that some quarters has been making efforts to delay the general elections by launching a multipronged propaganda on both mainstream and social media.
In recent days, the Supreme Court in recent days have acted swiftly to foil the seemingly organised attempts to delay elections.Previously, it had stopped the high courts from interfering in the domain of ECP – a constitutional body itself – to make it more powerful and immune from outside influence.
In first such move, it had nullified the ruling passed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi of Lahore High Court (LHC), who stayed the appointment of bureaucrats as election officials [district returning officers and others] on a petition filed by the PTI.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa had also written in the orders that the LHC judge interfered in the Supreme Court jurisdiction and the plaintiff had committed contempt of court – a development that also included prompt issuance of election schedule.
