ISLAMABAD  -  The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday instructed the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP) to remove the reservations of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party regarding the elections’ campaign and disposed of the plea. The court asked the ECP to hold a meeting with the PTI’s law­yers on the same day to listen to their reservations. The court also instruct­ed the Attorney General of Pakistan to facilitate the meeting. 

A three-member bench of the top court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minal­lah, heard the petition of PTI with regard to the lev­el playing field for the gen­eral elections. Also, the Su­preme Court directed the ECP to ensure that all polit­ical parties including Paki­stan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its candidates have an equal opportunity to partic­ipate in the upcoming gen­eral elections 2024.

In this connection, the Commission was also told that the PTI or for that mat­ter any person represent­ing any other political par­ty in the electoral process may approach the ECP to­day (Friday) at 03:00 pm for the redressal for their grievance relating to the elections. The ECP was fur­ther directed to attend to these grievances on urgent basis and resolve them ex­peditiously in order to en­sure that the electoral pro­cess remains smooth, open, transparent, free and fair. Let this exercise be com­pleted by ECP prompt­ly without disturbing the timelines given in the Elec­tion Programme because voters must have faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed.

In this matter, the PTI re­quested the Court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure free and fair elections in the country by providing a level playing field for its leaders and workers.

The Court said that the importance of free and fair elections, and maintaining a level playing field during elections, cannot be over­stated. Free and fair elec­tions provide legitimacy to the elected government and maintain the trust of the public in the democrat­ic process.

It added that a level play­ing field is essential for healthy competition, en­suring that elections are a true reflection of the peo­ple’s choice, rather than the result of manipulation or coercion. It is important to remember that “organ­ising free and fair elections is more important than the results itself.”

It is alleged that mem­bers of PTI, upon filing their nomination papers under the announced Election Programme, are being ar­rested, harassed and their nomination papers are be­ing snatched from them which is blatant abuse of a fair and free electoral pro­cess. The petitioner’s coun­sel informed the bench that they have approached the ECP under the Elections Act, 2017 by filing com­plaints, however, there has been no response on behalf of the Commission.

In pursuant of the Court direction, Attorney Gener­al for Pakistan Mansoor Us­man Awan and the Repre­sentatives of ECP appeared before the Court. The said Representatives at the very outset submitted that cer­tain complaints have been received by the ECP today (Friday) morning, which will be immediately attended to.

Both the attorney gener­al and the ECP representa­tive assured the Court that elections will be held free­ly and fairly as mandat­ed under the Constitution. They further assured that the grievance of the mem­bers of the PTI or any oth­er political party received by the ECP will be decided and resolved on urgent ba­sis and in accordance with law and where any action is required to be taken then that would be taken so that every political par­ty in the country enjoys a level playing field and that the elections are conduct­ed freely and fairly.