ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered on Thursday to lift a ban imposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on recruitments in government institutions.
A high court bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict while a hearing a case referred by the Supreme Court. The bench declared the ECP’s April 11 notification as null and void.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/ecp-bans-new-recruitment-in-state-departments-ahead-of-2018-elections/
on April 24, the apex court had given the IHC one week to decide whether the ECP’s decision of banning recruitments in government institutions is legal.
A day earlier, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar had taken suo motu notice of the Commision’s order to stop hiring at all federal, provincial and local governments departments to ensure transparency in the upcoming general elections.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/top-court-takes-suo-motu-notice-of-ecps-ban-on-recruitment-in-public-sector/
The ECP had also halted implementation of all development schemes taken up after April 1.
Chief Justice Nisar, during the hearing, had observed that as per Article 218 of the Constitution, it is the ECP’s responsibility to hold transparent elections.
The ECP secretary informed the apex court that they halted recruitments of government jobs to prevent pre-poll rigging and clarified that the federal and provincial public service commissions have been exempted from the order.
The court ordered that the Punjab government’s writ petition against the ECP order should be transferred to the IHC where a two-member bench will decide it in a week.
