Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday decided to appoint judges of lower judiciary as district returning officers and returning officers in upcoming general election. Under Articles 50 and 51 of Elections Act 2017, the ECP has written separate letters to registrars of all high courts for nomination of the judges for the job.
The Commission has sought details of district and sessions judges, additional sessions judges, senior civil judges and civil judges from the high courts' registrars; so that it can appoint them as DROs and ROs in the general election. The DROs and ROs play an important role during election as they are authorized to take on spot measures to ensure transparency of polls. They are also authorized to decide qualification and disqualification of candidates, tabulation of election results and respond to complaints/any violation of code of conduct for election.
Under election rules, a returning officer is authorized to appoint a presiding officer, assistant presiding officers and polling officers for each polling station in the respective constituency. They all can be officers of any government or corporations, autonomous or semi-autonomous bodies controlled by any government to assist the PO as the RO may consider necessary.
At least 30 days before the polling day, the RO is required to submit to the DRO for approval of a list of such POs, assistant POs and polling officers including reserved staff as may be determined by the ECP, and no change in the list shall be made thereafter except in exceptional circumstances.
In case of non-availability of any member of polling staff, the RO shall appoint a substitute from amongst the reserved staff as approved by the district returning officer.
In 2013 election, the ECP appointed the judges as the DROs and ROs in the election but the political parties later especially Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf raised questions over their neutrality during the election.
Co-Chairman PPP and former President Asif Ali Zardari even termed the 2013 general election as "ROs' election" meaning the returning officers influenced the results of the election. This time again the ECP has decided to appoint judges as the DROs and ROs, instead of appointing bureaucrats for the job; however, it is yet to be seen as to how the political parties and elections experts react to the move.
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