ECP postpones Punjab elections, reshedules them for Oct 8

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed the elections in Punjab and decided to hold the elections on Oct 8 2023.

The ECP said that the conduct of the free and fair elections on April 30 is not possible, but it has not explained the reasons for postponement of the polls.  It has suspended the schedule for the elections.

However, the ECP said that all stakeholders had excused to assist it for holding the free and fair polls in the province.

The electoral watchdog has also issued a notification in this effect.

Earlier speaking on a motion in the Joint Sitting of the Parliament on Wednesday evening, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah sought guidance of the Parliament on a date for holding next general elections in a free and fair manner.

He said the country cannot come out of the current economic and political crisis without ensuring free and fair elections.

He opined that elections of the national and all provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously under a caretaker setup as per spirit of the Constitution to ensure transparency and level playing field to all political parties.

The Interior Minister said we know that elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies but the polling date for Punjab Assembly announced by the President is April 30, which is also beyond the limit of 90 days.

He further said elections in 1988 and 2008 had been delayed for around six months due to various reasons.

Rana Sanaullah said it should also be kept in view that the Constitution calls for holding general elections under a caretaker setup.

The Interior Minister also sought Parliament’s guidance to empower the law enforcement agencies to deal with the armed protesters and gangs of political parties to maintain order.

Expressing solidarity with the people affected by yesterday’s earthquake, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also very concerned over the losses and the government will devise a strategy to compensate the affected citizens.

Sanaullah said, “It was said that the Supreme Court (SC) is being maligned with audio leaks. They should investigate the case of Ali Sahi and his two sons.”

“An audio conversation between ex-CJP Saqib Nisar and a lawyer had also surfaced earlier. The CJP should listen to the reference of the bar council and make a decision.”

“Imran Khan had initiated the trend of audio and video leaks in the country during his government. The videos of the NAB chairman were leaked by the PTI government to blackmail him. During his government, Tayyaba Gul was captivated in the Prime Minister’s House,” claimed Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for causing troubles in the country for 10 years through sit-ins and protests.

He said that Imran Khan had been invited by all governments. Shehbaz Sharif had invited Khan for the charter of economy and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari offered dialogues to the PTI chief too.

Sanaullah said that Imran Khan took vengeful actions against his political rivals through National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and filed false cases.

Regarding the economic crisis, the interior minister claimed that the incumbent government has made no mistakes in its economic policies. He said that the tough conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been accepted in an agreement in Imran Khan’s government.

“The incumbent government is only implementing the IMF conditions signed by the former premier Imran Khan,” said Sanaullah.