PTI to challenge Punjab election delay in Supreme Court

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced it will challenge the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to postpone Punjab elections until October in the Supreme Court, Aaj News reported on Thursday.

In a press conference in Lahore, PTI leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry made the announcement.

Umar said the decision to move the Punjab election from April 30 to October 8 violated the constitution.

He claimed ECP was in contempt of the Supreme Court which instructed the body to hold elections within 90 days of dissolving the Punjab Assembly.

During the presser, Fawad Chaudhry explained that PTI counsel Ali Zafar was drafting a petition that would be filed tomorrow.

Umar said PTI was going to plead with the top court to hold the election on April 30, the date set by the ECP and President Dr Arif Alvi.

Earlier in the day, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the ECP decision to postpone the provincial elections of Punjab was in the interest of Pakistan.

In a statement, she said that “the Election Commission took the decision keeping in mind the economic, political, and security situation”.

According to her, the ECP saved the country from a massive constitutional crisis, and the delay in the election will steer political stability in the country.

Marriyum maintained that under Article 218 of the Constitution, the ECP was liable to ensure transparent, impartial, and fair elections.

On Wednesday, the ECP postponed Punjab elections till October 8, saying that a new schedule will be issued in due course of time.

In the order, the ECP said that in the exercise of the powers conferred upon it by Article 218(3) read with Section 58 and Section 8(c) of the Elections Act, 2017, the commission “hereby withdraws the election program […], and fresh schedule will be issued in due course of time with the poll date on October 8”.

Earlier, ECP had announced to hold polls for the dissolved assembly of Punjab on April 30.

Commenting on the development, Imran said that the ECP’s decision to postpone elections was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

“Today, everyone must stand behind the legal community - the judiciary and lawyers - with the expectation that they will protect Constitution. If this is accepted today, then it is the end of the rule of law in Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.