Election schedule issued on court order

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) late on Friday night announced the schedule of the February 8, 2024, general elections on the direction of the Supreme Court.

The court earlier at an emergency sitting suspended a ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the appointment of returning officers from the district administrations and directed the commission to announce the schedule by night.

Under the law, the schedule has to be released 54 days before holding of the elections. Hence, there was an uncertainty about the elections set to be held on Feb 8.

The ECP today filed an appeal against the LHC ruling in the Supreme Court  which was taken up on an emergency basis by a bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The court later suspended the LHC verdict and directed the ECP to issue the election schedule at once.