Polls date still up in the air

LAHORE: As the general elections are being gossiped to be held in the last week of January next year, the announcement of election date is still a mystery with Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar Monday saying that the previous parliament had passed a law in which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was mandated to announce an election date.

On the other hand the ECP head says polls will take place soon on their scheduled time, but refrained from giving any date.

Interacting with the students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) during a special session, the caretaker prime minister said: “It is the mandate of the ECP and not of the caretaker prime minister to set a date for the general elections.”

The interim prime minister added that if he was mandated under the Constitution, he would have given the same.

He further said that the caretaker government would assist the ECP with the provision of finances and security for a smooth process and assured to fulfill their constitutional duty.

About delay in Punjab and KP polls, he said that the matter did not pertain to the tenure of the interim set-up and referred to Article 254 of the Constitution which said that any delay or failure to comply with the legal requirement as to time, did not render an act invalid or unconstitutional because it happened late.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja has expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the caretaker Punjab government to hold general elections in the province.

The statement from the CEC came during a meeting with the interim Punjab cabinet held on Monday to discuss the matters related to elections.

A detailed briefing was given by the commission regarding the preparations for the general elections in the province.

Provincial election commission members Nisar Ahmad Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Ikramullah Khan and Babar Hasan Bharwana also attended the huddle.

During the session, the CEC assured that the elections will take place soon on their scheduled time. He said the ECP would fully support the interim government to hold free and fair polls in the province.

CEC Raja said delimitation of constituencies will be completed by November 30 and added that the ECP is ready to conduct transparent, free and fair general elections

“The Election Commission is completely satisfied with the steps taken by the Punjab government so far,” Raja was quoted as saying.

During the meeting, caretaker Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi pledged unwavering support to the ECP, ensuring peaceful and transparent general elections. He affirmed that foolproof arrangements would be implemented to guarantee transparency in Punjab, following the guidelines set by the ECP.

He emphasised that conducting transparent, free, and fair elections is a national obligation that will be fulfilled with the utmost diligence.

Addressing a press conference following the meeting, Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir said the caretaker government and the ECP had agreed to hold elections on its scheduled time.

He said the CEC appreciated the caretaker government’s steps for conduct of elections and added that the Punjab CM assured the Election Commission that all steps would be taken to ensure free and fair polls.

Mir said the ECP did not share the date of elections in the huddle and also ruled out the possibility of using electronic voting machine (EVM) in the upcoming elections.

Later, the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul haq kakar got a special briefing from the Punjab Cabinet. Various issues were discussed in the meeting including Smog condition in Punjab, which the caretaker PM was told was the result of stubble burning in India. The Caretaker Prime minister was also briefed on the ongoing development projects, plan of action against criminal elements hiding in Kacha area, measures to control price hike and etc. The Caretaker Prime minister appreciated the Punjab government and assured his full support.