ECP notifies Sindh and Balochistan’s new election commissioners

ISLAMABAD: According to The News on Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has named new provincial election commissioners for Sindh and Balochistan, effective immediately.

This development occurs just a few days before the anticipated announcement of the general election schedule, which is scheduled for February 8 of next year.

Aijaz Anwer Chohan was transferred and posted as the provincial election commissioner for Balochistan by the electoral body, per a notification. Sharifullah will now take up his duties in Sindh for the same position.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja gave his approval for both provincial election commissioners to be transferred and posted. ECP claims that the decision was made with the public interest in mind.

“The postings and transfers of following officers under the ECP are made in public interest with immediate effect and until further orders,” the notice states.

It is important to remember that the MQM-P had called for Aijaz Anwer Chohan to be fired, claiming that he could not oversee free and fair elections.

Read More: ECP deals with New Constituencies Matter

DROs, ROs appointed by ECP

A representative for the ECP wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the electoral body had also announced the appointment of district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs), and assistant returning officers (AROs) for the general elections.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan publishes herewith, for general information, a list of District Returning Officers appointed for the District noted against them in connection with the conduct of General Elections-2024 to the Constituencies of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies falling within their administrative jurisdiction, in accordance with the provisions of Section 50 of the Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. XXX|ll of 2017),” stated a notice from the ECP.

For the National Assembly elections, thirty-six DROs have been appointed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forty-one in Punjab, thirty in Sindh, thirty in Balochistan, and one in Islamabad.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has forty-five ROs on notification, followed by three in Islamabad, 141 in Punjab, 60 in Sindh, and 15 in Balochistan.

There have been notifications to 155 ROs and AROs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 297 in Punjab, 130 in Sindh, and 51 in Balochistan for the provincial assembly elections.

Officers who have been notified have been instructed to start working on their assignments right away.

The notification states that by the deadline for filing nomination papers in accordance with the election schedule, political parties running for seats in the National Assembly reserved for women and non-Muslims as well as the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan will submit separate lists of their candidates to the appropriate returning officers in order of priority.