PESHAWAR, Feb 16: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan said on Saturday that the forthcoming general election was a big challenge for the judiciary and they would strive to hold it in a fair and transparent manner.

He called upon the judicial officers, who would act as returning officers, that they should ensure their impartiality during election duty so that true representatives of masses were elected.

The chief justice was speaking at the concluding ceremony of a training workshop for 26 judges of subordinate judiciary here at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy. He stated that they had already compiled the lists of judicial officers who would be given the duty of returning officers in coming general election and soon a conference would be held for their election training.

He said that they had asked the officers to remain impartial and anyone found involved in rigging and corrupt practices would be dealt with an iron hand. He said that the country was facing several challenges and election of honest leadership was the solution to these problems.

The chief justice said that the crises would deepen if elections were rigged. He said that certain elements had been trying to clip the powers of independent judiciary, but they would fail in their designs. He said that corrupt elements in the country had turned into mafias and the superior courts were trying to rid the country of such elements.

Justice Dost Mohammad stated that investigation officers of government institutions were also under tremendous pressure from corrupt elements and they could not conduct fair investigation.

He pointed out that recently an officer of such an institution died under mysterious circumstances and certain elements had now been creating hurdles in the way of impartial investigation into his death.

The chief justice regretted that merit had been violated in different institutions and those with recommendations of mighty people were getting attractive jobs. He said that corrupt elements were looting the national exchequer and living lavish lives, which had been resulting in increasing militancy in the society.

“The difference in education systems have also contributed to unrest in the society as on the one hand the children of affluent persons are studying abroad and in high profile institutions, on the other there are no proper schools for ordinary people,” the chief justice said.

He praised the media for its struggle against corruption, saying that despite all pressures media persons had been making efforts for eradication of corruption in the country.