ISLAMABAD:
In a significant development, a major reshuffle has taken place at the country’s polls oversight authority — the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — with three of its provincial members exchanging places.
According to a notification issued on Thursday, Sharifullah, the provincial election commissioner of Sindh, has been appointed as the provincial election commissioner of Punjab.
Muhammad Farid Afridi, the provincial election commissioner of Balochistan, has been appointed as the joint election commissioner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Aijaz Anwar Chohan, the provincial election commissioner of Punjab, has been reappointed as the provincial election commissioner of Sindh.
Ali Asghar Sial has been appointed as the provincial election commissioner of Balochistan while Aleem Shahab has been appointed as additional director general (headquarters).
The chief election commissioner (CEC), Sikander Sultan Raja, has completed his term. However, the government and opposition have not yet been able to start negotiations for finding his successor.
On January 27, a day after the end of the incumbent CEC’s term, the PTI, the largest opposition party, demanded that the government immediately and transparently appoint “an honest, unbiased and neutral CEC” in consultation with the PTI.
“The outgoing CEC’s dark era left an indelible mark on the country’s electoral landscape,” PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a statement.
He said it was incumbent upon the government to ensure timely and consensus-based appointments of the CEC and two other provincial heads of the electoral body “to shield the institution from further destruction”.
The PTI information secretary said that the outgoing CEC’s tenure had severely damaged the reputation of the ECP, thus allowing him to continue in the position would be a gross injustice, not only to the institution but also to the nation.
The PTI has had a rocky relationship with the ECP under Raja’s leadership, marked by legal challenges and public disputes. Tensions peaked during the 2024 general elections, where PTI alleged widespread rigging and vote tampering after the ECP-led litigation stripped the party of its iconic election symbol of a cricket bat.
The party has repeatedly accused Raja of delaying election results and tampering with vote counts, allegations that the ECP has consistently denied. The PTI has also called for Raja’s resignation, claiming that his actions have eroded confidence in the ECP’s ability to conduct fair elections.
