Four high court CJs appointed presiding officers for presidential elections

• PHC chief justice has been appointed for KP Assembly.
• SHC CJ has been notified as presiding officer for Sindh Assembly.
• Presiding officers to receive nomination papers from candidates.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday appointed four high court chief justices and one of its member as presiding officers to conduct the upcoming presidential polls, reported The News.

With the formation of the new governments after the February 8 general elections, President Arif Alvi’s tenure is going to end shortly. As per the Constitution, a new president has to be elected within 30 days of general elections, so the elections have to be held by March 9. 

The Islamabad High Court chief justice has been notified as the presiding officer for the presidential election in the Senate and National Assembly, while an ECP member has been appointed for the Punjab Assembly, Lahore.

Similarly, the Sindh High Court chief justice has been notified as the presiding officer for the Sindh Assembly in Karachi, whereas for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, in Peshawar, the Peshawar High Court chief justice will fulfil those duties.

The Balochistan High Court chief justice will conduct the presidential polls in the Balochistan Assembly, Quetta.

The ECP has said the presiding officers would receive nomination papers from the candidates and preside over the meetings of the parliament, and respective provincial assemblies.

The election commission will announce the election schedule on March 1 (tomorrow).

Former president Asif Ali Zardari is expected to become the country’s president for the second time as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) along other political parties have agreed to form a coalition government in the centre.

On February 13, six-parties alliance — PML-N, PPP, MQMP, PML-Q, IPP and BAP — had announced to form a government in the centre on the pattern of the last government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that his party would support the PML-N to elect its prime minister without becoming part of the federal government.

However, to a question regarding the constitutional posts of National Assembly speaker, Senate chairman and president, the PPP chairman said the party would decide its nominees for these posts but he wanted Asif Ali Zardari to become president "because the country is burning and if anyone can help put the fire out, it is Asif Ali Zardari".