LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take a decision on an application of the PTI challenging postings of 22 senior government and police officers in Punjab within seven days.

The list of “controversial officers” prepared by the PTI has names of 11 bureaucrats - Nabeel Awan, Muhammad Usman, Umar Sher Chattah, Sumair Syed, Ali Randhawa, Ajmal Bhatti, Ahmad Raza Sarwar, Amir Karim Khan, Dr Rashid Mansoor, Amir Khattak and Syed Ali Murtaza.

The list also includes names of IGP Usman Anwar, CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamiyana, Anti-Corruption Establishment Director General Sohail Zafar Chattah and other police officers.

Earlier, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry’s counsel argued that the PTI through an application had conveyed its reservations to the ECP about the posting of the senior government officials. He said the petitioner requested the ECP that officers should not be given postings in the province of Punjab during the forthcoming elections for the Punjab Assembly.

The ECP however failed to act in accordance with law and the constitution and had not only slept over the petitioner’s application but instead granted free hand to the controversial caretaker government for transfer and postings throughout the province, the counsel added. The counsel argued that without removing the “controversial” officers from the posts in the province, the conduct of fair, free and transparent elections would not be possible.

He alleged that the biased and controversial caretaker government in Punjab was not only taking major policy decisions but had also been issuing unwarranted orders of transfers of officers to affect the election of PTI. He, therefore, asked the court to direct the ECP to address grievance of the petitioner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023