LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notices on a petition seeking directions for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to appoint additional election tribunals in Punjab.

Justice Shahid Karim heard the petition filed by Rao Omar Hashim Khan, a PTI-backed independent candidate, who had lost his general election from NA-139, Pakpattan.

The judge sought replies from the federal government and the ECP and also restrained the LHC office from fixing the plea of the petitioner before any of the two election tribunals already in work.

The judge would take up the petition on May 23 along with a pending identical petition filed by PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, who also lost his general election from NA-128, Lahore.

The petitioner contended that the ECP notified five election tribunals each for Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three for Balochistan, and one for Islamabad pursuant to nominations sent by the chief justices of the respective high courts. However, in Punjab, the ECP made a request to the LHC chief justice to nominate nine judges for appointment as election tribunals, the petitioner said. He said initially, two of the judges nominated by the LHC were appointed as tribunals.

The petitioner claimed that the ECP not only failed to appoint the additional election tribunals as nominated by the LHC CJ but also unlawfully asked the chief justice to provide a panel of the sitting judges for appointment as the tribunals.

He asked the court to order the ECP to appoint additional election tribunals in light of the recommendations of the LHC for expeditious disposal of the petitions regarding the 2024 general election.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2024