LAHORE: PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday lambasted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for sending the poll petitions involving critical constituencies, like his and Dr Yasmin Rashid’s, to a tribunal comprising a retired judge.

Talking to media persons at the Lahore High Court, Raja said the commission selectively sent certain cases to retired judges, while the remaining ones were being handled by the sitting judges.

He argued that there was a significant difference between a sitting and a retired judge “in terms of independence”.

He said, “Whatever happened on the dreadful night of Feb 8 is in the public knowledge.”

Mr Raja stated that the fate of the PTI’s Nov 24 protest was now in the people’s hands, adding, “This is for the entire nation, it’s all in front of you.”

He alleged that the house of a woman working with him was raided on Monday night.

He said if the nation accepted this law (26th constitutional amendment), it would not be good for the country as a whole.

Mr Raja said Imran Khan’s call is for constitutional principles and integrity.

He alleged that more seats of judges had been created in the Supreme Court so that the entire court could be controlled by the government.

He was of the view that the 26th constitutional amendment shackled the entire judicial system.

“In the current situation, we have no hope for justice,” the PTI leader added.

Earlier, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of the Lahore High Court referred a petition of Mr Raja against the appointment of retired judges in the election tribunals to Justice Shahid Karim for hearing.

Justice Sheikh observed that as Justice Karim had previously heard the same matter, it was deemed appropriate for him to hear the case again.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2024