Has the LHC paved the way for polls in Punjab, KP?

“We are ready for elections whenever they are announced”

Pir Sabir Shah, PML-N Leader

It is a completely false and misleading impression that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wanted the provincial assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to be postponed.

Being one of the major political parties, we are not anti-elections; we are ready for elections whenever they will be announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), be it the elections for provincial assemblies in the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or the general elections.

However, it is our party’s policy that the assemblies should complete their mandated terms in office. But as the provincial assemblies of the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are dissolved, we are ready for elections in these two provinces as soon as the ECP announces the date for these elections. We wanted the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to complete its mandated term, and then obviously elections for the National Assembly will be called because it is the constitutional requirement and we can’t go against the constitution.

Under the constitution, if the assembly is dissolved before the end of its mandated term, the ECP is required to hold elections within 90 days. However, if the ECP or governors of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are unwilling to hold elections, they should be held accountable, not any political party, because we are on the receiving end, just like other political parties.

Political parties have always remained prepared for holding elections, and we go one step forward by reorganising the party in all four provinces, which, in a way, is the start of our election campaign. We have started reorganising the party at the grass-roots level, and there has been a tremendous response from the party workers and activists.

Moreover, whenever the ECP announces elections in both these provinces, you will find us ready. The senior vice president and chief organiser of the party, Maryam Nawaz, had attended party conventions in various parts of the country, and the response of office bearers and workers was overwhelming.

The reorganisation exercise will be completed in the next couple of months. We have nothing to do with technical issues that could delay the elections, like a poor law and order situation or the holding of a digital census ahead of the elections being raised by the ECP and governors of the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. We are ready for elections, and our party is already in election mode.

“The govt’s attempt to postpone elections is a clear violation of the constitution”

Liaquat Baloch, JI Leader

It is unfortunate that the ruling elite have been mistreating and misinterpreting the constitution for their petty political gains, which will not go well with the country and democratic order. The ruling elites have not learned any lessons from the past, and playing with the constitution will not go well this time either.

In the past, the country had paid a heavy price for distorting and mutilating the constitution, and we could not afford another constitutional crisis in the given circumstances, where the country is on the brink of economic default and inflation is at an all-time high in the country’s history. Political players both in the government and opposition should realise the gravity of the situation and play their role in steering the country out of the prevailing political and economic crises instead of locking horns for petty political gains.

The government’s attempt to postpone elections for the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a clear violation of the constitution, which requires elections to be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the federal or provincial legislature. Dragging political matters to superior courts for resolution is also detrimental to the country’s democratic order, and political actors should resolve their differences in Parliament rather than in the courts.

The refusal of law enforcement agencies and other government departments to provide assistance to the ECP to conduct elections is a sheer violation of the constitution, while the denial of the Ministry of Finance to release funds for the holding of the elections indicated the total disconnect between the state institutions and failure of the system, which can only add to the prevailing political uncertainty in the country, which in turn will accelerate the economic meltdown. So, I think politicians should avoid taking things to a dead end where the very survival of democracy will be at stake.

We had seen in the past how political infighting resulted in the dissolution of the political regime and the imposition of dictatorial rule in the country. The only solution to bring an end to this political uncertainty in the country is to hold elections, because only a government with the complete support of the people can steer the country out of the prevailing political and economic crisis.

As a result, I believe sanity will prevail and all stakeholders will sit down together and devise a strategy to end the uncertainty on the country’s political firmament by holding free, fair, and transparent elections, which will bring economic stability to the country.

“We believe that the solution to all the problems faced by the country is election”

Fawad Chaudhry, PTI Leader

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government is virtually trampling the constitution by not holding elections for the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa assemblies. Even the Election Commission of Pakistan and the governors of both these provinces are flouting the superior court orders to announce the dates for these elections.

Hence, besides subverting the constitution, they are also committing contempt of court by not following the court orders. We are again in the Lahore High Court with a contempt of court petition and have hoped that the court will take action against all those involved in flouting the court orders. We believe elections are the only solution to the problems facing the country, but attempting to delay the elections in both Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on flimsy grounds will only add to the economic and political woes of the country.

Since the ouster of his government as a result of the regime change conspiracy, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that the incumbent ruling coalition came with different agendas. They just wanted to close the corruption cases against them, and they had done so by making the NAB laws fangless, which ultimately resulted in the closure of mega corruption cases against the leading players in PDM.

We sincerely believe that the solution to all the problems faced by the country is to go to the people of Pakistan for a fresh mandate. I think the government, with the true backing of the people, can steer the country out of crises and will bring political stability, which in turn will provide a base for a stable economy. The ECP and governors of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are attempting to delay the elections on flimsy grounds. It will serve no purpose but to add to the prevailing uncertainty in the country.

The constitution is crystal clear on the subject and directs ECP to hold elections within 90 days of dissolution of the assemblies, so by not following the constitution, both the Chief Election Commissioner and governors of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are subverting the constitution and should be tried under Article 6 of the constitution.

In my view, the incumbent government should call general elections instead of just holding elections for the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, as it is the only way to bring political stability to the country and help stop the economic downturn that has virtually brought the country to the brink of economic default.

If the rulers do not mend fences, the country’s economic conditions will deteriorate further, making life extremely difficult for the country’s poor and middle-class citizens, who are bearing the brunt of the economic meltdown.