ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will take up on Wednesday (tomorrow) the PTI’s petition seeking initiation of contempt charges against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for alleged violation of its Dec 22 directives.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will head the bench, while Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali will be its other members.

On Monday, PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen appeared before the bench to request early fixing of the case but was told to wait till the tea break.

Instead, the counsel went to the Islamabad High Court’s premises to file an appeal before the election tribunal against the rejection of his nomination papers two days ago.

Mr Shaheen returned after filing his election appeal, but instead of entering the courtroom, he got himself busy talking to the media inside the Supreme Court’s premises.

The court then fixed the PTI’s petition for hearing on Wednesday before a three-judge bench. It was moved on behalf of PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan through Advocate Shoaib Shaheen seeking a directive from the Supreme Court to the authorities for ensuring a level playing field by not arresting PTI candidates, workers and leaders.

The Supreme Court had directed the ECP on Dec 22 to hear grievances of the party on an urgent basis and resolve these expeditiously in order to ensure that the electoral process remains smooth, open, transparent, free and fair.

“Let this exercise be completed by ECP promptly,” the top court had ordered, without disturbing the timelines given in the election schedule because voters must have “faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed”, the order had stated.

The contempt of court petition named as respondents Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, the chief secretaries and the police chiefs of the four provinces.

The petition pleaded that contempt proceedings be initiated against the respondents for non-compliance with the apex court’s Dec 22 orders.

The SC was requested to issue orders to the authorities concerned to ensure that ROs and DROs carry out their duties with impartiality, in accordance with the Constitution and do not discriminate against the PTI.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2024