Election Commission halts DROs, ROs training

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspended the ongoing training of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) in compliance with the orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

An ECP spokesman stated that the Lahore High Court has suspended the ECP’s notification dated December 11, 2023, related to the appointment of 142 district returning officers (DROs), 859 assistant returning officers (AROs), and returning officers from the executive for the general elections, which are scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024.

The comprehensive training for district returning officers and returning officers began on Wednesday. Senior officers from the Election Commission of Pakistan conducted training sessions, focusing on election procedures, rules, and other administrative aspects, the official news agency reported.

The commission has scheduled a one-day training session for 142 district returning officers in all four provincial headquarters on December 16. This includes 40 officers from Punjab, 36 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 36 from Balochistan, and 30 from Sindh.

Likewise, 859 returning officers are undergoing a two-day election training at their respective divisional levels from December 13 to 15. This comprises 441 ROs from Punjab, 160 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 191 from Sindh, and 67 from Balochistan.

Lahore High Court’s Justice Ali Baqir Najafi suspended the Election Commission’s December 11 notification to administer the February 8 general elections through bureaucracy in his verdict on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

While announcing the reserved verdict, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi issued notices to the caretaker federal and Punjab governments and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

In the written verdict, Justice Najafi said important points were raised in the petition filed by the PTI. “This election commission’s decision will have implications on national level,” he noted, adding that if the country’s political parties do not accept the results, all will go in vain.

“The electoral watchdog has to give equal opportunity to the candidates for free and transparent elections,” the verdict stated, adding that voters should be free to cast their votes without any fear.

Justice Najafi also urged the LHC chief justice to form a larger bench on this “important issue”.