Former SC judge Wajih expelled from CEC's office

Former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed was expelled from the office of Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza on Wednesday after an exchange of heated words while he later announced that he would move the Supreme Judicial Council against the CEC. The postponement of a hearing in connection with Aam Loag Ittehad Party's registration led to the exchange of heated words as Wajih said the CEC should have waited before postponing the hearing considering that he had come from Karachi.
The CEC was supposed to hear the case but since the party representatives reportedly did not arrive on time, the hearing was postponed to a later date. The postponement prompted Wajih, who had travelled from Karachi to Islamabad for the hearing, to go to the ECP chief's chamber and register his protest. The CEC reportedly said that Wajih was out of line and being impolite while talking to him in his chamber.
Wajih, however, said that since the ECP chief is a public servant, he should be used to things like these. After a heated exchange of words, the CEC ordered that Wajih as well as his counsel be removed from his chamber. "We travelled all the way from Karachi for this hearing. We were placed in the courtroom but the bench adjourned the hearing and left the room at 10:30am," Wajih said while talking to media persons outside the Election Commission of Pakistan.
"Today is a really disappointing day for the ECP. The retired judges working here think they are here to sit and sip on tea only," he added. Wajih also announced that he would take up the matter with the Supreme Judicial Council for the way the ECP chief behaved with him.
"I felt ridiculed. Raza is not deserving of being a chief election commissioner," the retired justice said. "I will never appear in front of the chief election commissioner for my case. This commission is unfit for conducting elections in the country," he added.
Later, the ECP clarified the statement of Wajih, which he gave in the media regarding appointment of chief election commissioner (CEC). Talking to media persons, the spokesman for the ECP Haroon Khan said the head of "Aam Log Ittehad Party" former Justice Wajihuddin's allegation on appointment of the CEC was not based on facts. He said that the CEC was appointed with the consensus of all political parties and in a transparent manner. He said the appointment of CEC was made under Article 213 of the Constitution.