ISLAMABAD: While different political parties are putting their weight behind the demand to hold general elections in the country within the constitutionally-mandated 90-day period, other political entities are supporting the controversial delimitation drive and have apparently overlooked the timely general polls’ demand.
The office-bearers of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) visited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday to meet the senior officials led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
In the meeting, the PML-Q delegates endorsed the ongoing exercise to delimit the constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies.
Apart from PML-Q, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have supported the delimitation exercise, skipping the timely general polls demand, in their respective meetings with the ECP officials in the recent days.
On the other hand, political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have supported timely polls demand.
On August 17, the electoral body announced to have launched the delimitation drive without consulting any political party. This exercise is scheduled to be completed not before December 14 this year.
This indicates that the general elections may not be held before March next year—and that too in case ECP proceeds to hold preparations for general elections in 90 days— immediately after the completion of the delimitation exercise.
The National Assembly was dissolved on this month’s 9th — a scenario which implies that the general elections are required to be held not later than November 7 this year, within the 90-day period mandated by the constitution.
Sindh and Balochistan legislatures were also dissolved in the ongoing month. Article 224(2) provides that when the NA or a provincial assembly is dissolved, a general election to the assembly shall be held within a period of 90 days after the dissolution, and the results of the election shall be declared not later than 14 days after the conclusion of the polls.
The general elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are already witnessing inordinate delay – keeping in view that both the provincial legislatures were dissolved in January this year and respective caretaker governments are since running the affairs of the two provinces.
The CEC has claimed in his meetings with the political parties’ representatives that the ECP intends to reduce the duration of the delimitation drive and announce the general polls schedule immediately after the completion of the delimitation exercise.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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