ISLAMABAD: Different mainstream political parties, have, once again, demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce a date for holding timely general elections in the country and ensure level playing field for every political party before going to the polls.
This demand came in a consultative conclave between the poll entity and the political parties over the draft code of conduct for general elections on Wednesday.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Awami National Party (ANP) and others attended the meeting that was held on the ECP’s invitation to political parties.
The delegates from political parties including PTI, PPP and ANP were of the view that it was the first and foremost responsibility of the commission to ensure timely conduct of the general elections within the 90-day constitutionally-mandated period after the dissolution of the assemblies.
The politicians categorically demanded of the poll body to ensure that no political force was marginalised or left out from the electoral process.
The ECP officials assured the delegates that their feedback regarding the draft code of conduct for the general elections would be looked into.
In August, this year, the ECP held separate meetings with political parties to discuss the matters related to general polls. In these meetings, several political parties lambasted the ECP for launching the controversial drive to delimit the constituencies of the assemblies without taking any political party on board.
It was only after the commission faced massive criticism that it announced to revise the completion of delimitation drive from December 14 to November 30, this year.
Article 224(2) provides that when the National Assembly 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.
Last month, the ECP announced to hold general elections in the country in the last week of January next year, without giving any date and issuing the related electoral schedule.
The conduct of general elections in the last week of the coming January would imply that the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be held more than a year after the dissolution of the two provincial assemblies.
Punjab Assembly was dissolved on January 14 and KP Assembly on January 18, this year.
The National Assembly was dissolved on August 9, Sindh Assembly on August 11, and Balochistan Assembly was dissolved on August 12. Constitutionally, the cut-off date for holding NA general elections is November 7.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023