PTI tells the top court that its 668 candidates’ nomination papers have been rejected by the returning officers appointed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Jan 3rd, 2024) The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday issued notices to Punjab's Inspector General Police (IGP), Chief Secretary, and Attorney General (AG) Punjab in response to a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking contempt proceedings against the ECP for ignoring its concerns about a level-playing field ahead of general elections.
A SC three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali heard the case.
The proceedings were made available to the public through a live broadcast on the Supreme Court's website.
In preparation for the recent hearing, PTI submitted additional documents to the court, presenting evidence of an alleged denial of a level playing field.
According to these documents, nomination papers for 668 PTI candidates were rejected by returning officers appointed by the ECP.
The plea, moved by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on behalf of PTI, sought a directive from the Supreme Court to ensure a fair playing field. The plea emphasized that PTI candidates, workers, and leaders should not face arrest or harassment, and their seconders should be free from intimidation.
The petitioner urged the apex court to instruct the concerned authorities to facilitate a level playing field for PTI, ensuring free and fair elections in the interest of justice.
The contempt of court petition named various officials, including Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, chief secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, as well as IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar, IG Balochistan Abdul Khalique Sheikh, IG KP Akhtar Hayat, and IG Sindh Riffat Mukhtar as respondents.
The Supreme Court had previously directed the ECP on December 22 to address PTI's complaints concerning a fair playing field in the upcoming general elections in 2024.
Following this directive, the ECP acknowledged PTI's reservations and issued instructions to provincial election commissioners, chief secretaries, and inspector-generals (IGs) to address the concerns raised by PTI, including mishandling of candidates and difficulties in filing nomination papers.
