Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Monday staged a walkout from the National Assembly after it formally announced the boycott of today's Presidential election, in protest against Supreme Court decision of bringing election date forward.
Speaking on a point of order from the outset of proceedings, PPP senior leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim regretted that "the SC passed an order to advance the date of Presidential election to July 30 from August 6 on an application of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chairman Raja Zafarul Haq without hearing other political stakeholders, PPP and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) whose candidates were also contesting for the office of president".
He said his party had nominated Senator Raza Rabbani as candidate for the office of President after the ECP announced the election schedule of August 6, but all of a sudden "a bombshell was dropped on us" by the court through advancement of the election date to July 30, which provided little time to the opposition candidates to canvass in the four provinces. "This was not the election of Union Council but of the highest office of the country, which has become controversial. The president's office will become controversial for the next term if the election is held without the participation of the major political stakeholder," he added.
The PPP parliamentarians participated in first day's proceeding, on the eve of presidential election, wearing black armbands in protest against ECP, SC and ruling party and urged the government to move another application in the court with a request for fixing presidential election on August 6. The Makhdoom of Hala also criticised the apex court verdict, saying that it was unconstitutional, against the spirit of democracy and termed it "pre-poll rigging." He said advancing election date to July 30 was not acceptable to PPP, ANP, PML-Q and BNP-Awami. "We will end the boycott and participate in the election process, if the government writes a letter to the SC regarding holding presidential election on the original scheduled date of August 06," Fahim added.
He said it was the prerogative of the ECP to announce the date for the election well in time but lamented that it failed to exercise its obligation in this regard. Constitutionally, the ECP was an independent institution empowered to take decisions without the dictation of any other institution, he added.
He urged the PTI, second major opposition party which is taking part in the election, to join PPP and boycott presidential election. Shah Mehmood Qureshi of PTI said his party totally agreed to the concerns of PPP leaders about presidential election and court's order in the matter; however, he added that PTI did not agree to PPP's strategy as boycott was no solution to problem. He said the ECP was responsible for the entire mess as it was its responsibility to timely announce the schedule to evade any ambiguity. He said he agreed to the PPP leader's viewpoint that the court decided on the matter without hearing other stakeholders. Qureshi said presidential election had also exposed the ruling party on overnight development with regard to new PML(N)-MQM alignment, "which has been even shocking for its own parliamentarians, unable to digest the relations." The questions were also being raised as to why Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Chief Pir Pagaro, a coalition partner, had refused to meet the PML-N delegation. The PTI leader said that these developments could give a new direction to the country's politics in coming weeks and months. He requested the PPP not to boycott the election and come to the Parliament on Tuesday to cast vote in support of PTI candidate.
Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, responding to the Makhdoom Amin Fahim's and Shah Mehmood Qureshi's point of order, said the decision of the PPP regarding boycott of the presidential elections was an "afterthought to evade reality". The Minister added that he had spoken to the opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah on telephone and informed him about the PML-N Presidential candidate. He said the opposition leader did not raise any objection over the advancement of the date and all he wanted was that the date should not be extended beyond August 6. The subsequent reaction of the party reflected that the decision to oppose the advancement of the date was an afterthought and an effort aimed at avoiding a clear defeat.
He said his party had adopted a constitutional course by moving the court and there were no bad motives involved. The government already had the required numbers and its candidate would have won even if election was to be held on August 06. Asif appealed to all parties to participate in the election for the office of the President and should not create hurdles in the way of a legal and constitutional process.