KP Governor discusses political issues with President Alvi

• KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali called on President Dr Arif Alvi
• They discussed political issues including the election date
• SC will announce verdict on Punjab, KP polls tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Haji Ghulam Ali called on President Dr Arif Alvi and discussed a wide range of political issues.

During the meeting, the president and governor discussed political matters including conducting elections for the provincial assembly.

The meeting came as the Supreme Court (SC) reserved verdict on a suo motu on the delay in announcement of date for holding elections for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies.

A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail conducted the hearings for two consecutive days.

During the hearing on Tuesday, President Alvi’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja said that his client has decided to withdraw his notification for the general elections in KP as the governor had dissolved the assembly unlike Punjab, where the governor did not.

The lawyer said the president has stated that it is the right of the governor to issue the election date. When asked why the president hasn’t taken the advice back, the lawyer responded it will be done soon.

The apex court had earlier today asked political parties  including the ruling alliance and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to agree upon a mutual date for the elections

The PML-N lawyer asked the court to continue the proceedings as the coalition partners needed more time to consult with each other.

The SC had taken the suo motu notice of an apparent delay in announcement of the elections of the two assemblies. President Arif Alvi had unilaterally announced the election date, a move that drew strong criticism from the government.

CJP said the suo motu notice had been taken to assess who was eligible to issue the date for polls and who had the constitutional responsibility of conducting elections and when.

A nine-member larger bench was constituted initially to hear the case but the bench was reconstituted after four judges of the bench recused themselves.

The judges that recused themselves were Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Yahya Afridi.

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