Gilgit-Baltistan election chief's appointment challenged by PTI

Petitonera says newly-appointed CEC has close ties with the PML-N, making him unsuitable for the job

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has challenged the appointment of the Gilgit-Balistan chief election commissioner in the Supreme Court, claiming he is an "unsuitable" person for the job given his close ties with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

With elections scheduled to be held around March 2015, PTI's member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ghulam Sarwar Khan, local leader Akbar Hussain Akbar and Wahdatul Muslimeen leader Raja Nasir Abbas have filed a petition through their counsel under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution.

Newly-appointed Gilgit-Balistan CEC Justice (retd) Tahir Ali Shah the Federation of Pakistan, G-B Ministry of Kashmir Affair and the Gilgit-Balistan council chairman through principal secretary to prime minister have been named as respondents in the petition.

The petitioners have requested the apex court to strike down the notification regarding the appointment G-B CEC and direct the respondents to appoint a new CEC through the involvement of all participating parties, especially the leader of the House and leader of the opposition in the G-B assembly.

The petitioners further argue that the person selected for the key post is unsuitable as he is an active member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

They also attached five photographs with their petition to show the newly-appointed CEC has close associations with the PML-N.

“Such a committed party worker of one of the parties participating in the elections cannot be expected to conduct elections in a free, fair, impartial and transparent manner," the petitioners said.

The petition also stated that the affection, loyalty, goodwill of the entire population of Gilgit-Balistan rests squarely on free and fair elections in the area.

“It would be most damaging internally and externally, nationally and internationally to conduct elections in that area, in any other manner or even for the election to appear to be absolutely, other than free, fair and impartial,” the petition stated.

Further, it states that in Pakistan, the appointment of the CEC is made through a consensus between the leader of House and the leader of the opposition.

In G-B, the Pakistan Peoples Party holds majority seats (21), following by the PML-Q (3), while the PTI does not have any seat.

The petition objected that the appointment has been done arbitrarily and unilaterally by the prime minister, whose party holds two seats and the process of consultation that was required was not undertaken and none of the other stakeholders were taken on board.