President Dr Arif Alvi has announced that elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will be held on April 9.
It is pertinent to mention here that Section 57(1) of the Elections Act, 2017 says that the president is entrusted to announce the election date after consulting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
Earlier today, ECP said no to meeting President Alvi when he invited the commission to consult with him, citing that the matter of elections is sub judice.
ECP says no to meeting with President Alvi
On Monday, ECP, in a letter addressed to Alvi, has stated that the matter of deciding a date for elections is subjudice, hence, it cannot participate in a meeting on this issue with the president.
The development comes days after Alvi wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, inviting him for an “urgent meeting” to discuss and consult on the election date in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The meeting was set to take place today (Monday, February 20).
Two federal ministers, Rana Sanaullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb, have defended the ECP.
In a statement issued on Monday, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Presidency has become “Awan-e-Sazish” [centre of conspiracy], adding that the government will not allow it to become “Imran Khan’s Tiger Force”. She also advised Alvi against becoming a puppet of the former Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah lambasted Alvi, stating that, “ECP is not your slave,” and adding that “Imran is now using the head of state [Alvi] for conspiracy”.
President Alvi asks ECP for urgent meeting to consult on Punjab, KP’s election dates
Earlier, in a letter to ECP, the president expressed displeasure over the “apathy and inaction” of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on not responding to his earlier letter as yet. The first letter was sent on February 8.
The president stated that he had waited anxiously that the ECP would realise its constitutional duties to proceed and act accordingly, but was extremely dismayed by the commission’s “approach on this important matter”.
The meeting will take place on February 20 (Monday).
The president’s official Twitter account said that the two will discuss Section 57(1) of Elections Act, 2017 which details that the president is entrusted to announce the election date after consulting the ECP.
Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved in January to pave way for fresh elections.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been asking for the elections since the ouster of their chairman Imran Khan as Prime Minister.
