PTI seeks general elections within 90 days ‘at all costs’

In consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has asked the election watchdog to hold general elections within ninety days “to prevent a further constitutional crisis”.

On an invitation sent by the ECP for consultation on elections, a delegation of PTI met Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikander Sultan Raja on Thursday and presented their demand to hold elections in the country within the stipulated time of 90 days after the dissolution of the national assembly “at all costs.”

The delegation presented a letter written by Omar Ayub Khan, Secretary General Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, comprising of the party’s position over the elections.

“I hope that in this meeting, our team will have told you of our position that national elections must happen at all costs within the stipulated time of 90 days to prevent a further constitutional crisis,” the PTI secretary general wrote in the letter, which was also shared on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter).

“We know that this is something that you can play a role in, having seen first-hand how you insisted and made possible the holding of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in December 2021 and March 2022, delayed due to the Covid crisis. All credit to you for that!,” the letter read.

He also highlighted that the Punjab and KP provincial assemblies were still “without representative government” after more than 200 days of their dissolution.

“To remind you, these two governments have passed budgets for four months each, and there are no constitutional mechanisms for Punjab and KP to approve any government spending from November 1. All of this makes clear that there is absolutely no alternative to a national election within 90 days.”

In the letter, the PTI secretary general also blamed the caretaker governments in the two provinces of “orchestrating a crackdown against PTI”.

“This crackdown is unconstitutional, illegal, and without precedent in the history of the country,” he wrote, stressing that the actions of both the governments were “in complete violation of their existence through the Election Act 2017.

“There is also the case of the Punjab and KP governments spending Rs100 billion on a free atta programme, that was neither in their domain to decide on, and that was used, with provincial funding, for the political mileage of PMLN Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his PDM allies, “ Omar Ayub Khan said.

He highlighted the Clause 230 of the Election Act, stating that the caretaker government cannot act in any manner detrimental to one party, or in any way that may influence the election process.

“Clauses 186 and 187 forbid government officials from doing the same. All the actions described above, that are only the tip of the iceberg, have made a joke of the said Act, the law, and the Constitution,” he wrote.

Later, the ECP also issued a statement that it held meetings with the delegations of PTI and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (Fazl) for consultation on elections.

In its statement, the election watchdog said PTI presented its demand to hold elections within 90 days and also discouraged delimitation on the basis on new census, which could lead to a delay in elections.

Meanwhile, the delegation of JUI-F urged the ECP to hold elections after delimitation.

CEC turns down President’s invitation to discuss elections date

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja turned down on Thursday President Dr Arif Alvi’s invitation regarding setting a date for elections, saying the power to appoint a date for general elections rested “exclusively with the Election Commission of Pakistan.”

In his reply, the CEC said that Section 57 of the Elections Act had been amended due to an act of Parliament, which had empowered the ECP to announce dates for general elections.

“Where the president dissolves the National Assembly, in his discretion, as provided in Article 58(2) read with Article 48(5) of the Constitution then he has to appoint a date for the general elections,” read the reply.

“However, if the assembly is dissolved on the advice of the prime minister or by afflux of time as provided in Article 58(1) of the Constitution, then the commission understands and believes that power to appoint a date or dates for elections rests exclusively with the Commission.”

Raja further said the ECP believed reliance placed on the provisions of the Constitution mentioned in the President’s invitation letter were not applicable in the context.

He added that the ECP was taking its responsibility of holding general elections in the country “very seriously”, and was of the view that participation in a meeting with the President would be of “scant consequence”.