ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to take notice of discrepancies in delimitation of the constituencies instead of endorsing every act of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
The PBC and the SCBA in separate statements emphasized the necessity for all political parties and independent
candidates to be afforded a level playing field and equal opportunities, ensuring transparency and fairness in the electoral process. PBC Vice-Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid and its Chairman Hassan Raza Pasha expressed their serious concerns over the conduct of the CEC, regarding election procedures, delimitation, and seat allocations and highlighted the growing perception that, in the presence of the incumbent CEC, elections cannot be conducted freely and transparently. The SCBAP stated that it believes that “in order to achieve the aforesaid objectives, the present Chief Election Commissioner should go home as under him, fair and impartial elections with equal opportunity for all, are not possible.” The PBC statement said that a glaring example is the matter of allocation of two National Assembly seats to the CEC’s own native District (Jehlum), with a population of 1,382,000(appx.) while District Hafizabad, with a population of around 1,320,000 (appx.), is allocated only one seat. A similar imbalance is observed in the allocation of seats for District Rawalpindi. It added that despite its lower population compared to Gujranwala Division, an additional seat has been allocated, raising questions about the transparency of the electoral process. It is evident that the conduct of the CECP raises serious doubts about the integrity of the general elections, presenting an environment that appears to lack transparency entirely.
It maintained that in light of these circumstances, the PBC cannot turn a blind eye to these critical matters. They stress that the Supreme Court of Pakistan, as the highest Constitutional Court, must take notice of these discrepancies instead of endorsing every act of the CECP. The PBC firmly believes that the primary objective is not merely holding elections but conducting them in a free, fair, and transparent manner, providing equal opportunities to all stakeholders.
The PBC said that with this in mind, the PBC will soon convene an all Pakistan Representative convention to formulate and announce a line of action and date for a lawyers’ movement in consultation with SCBA. The aim is to ensure the cause of free, fair, and transparent general elections which is not possible in the presence of incumbent Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, as it seems, he has different codes for every political party or individual. It continued that the PBC remains committed to upholding democratic principles and fostering transparency in the electoral process for the benefit of all citizens.