Pakistan President Alvi broadcasts Punjab and Ok-P elections on April 9, ruling alliance slams transfer

The provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been dissolved on January 14 and January 18 respectively, earlier than the expiry of their mandated five-year phrases on the orders of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi (PTI/File)

By Press Trust of India: Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Monday unilaterally introduced April 9 because the date for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, a transfer slammed by events of the ruling alliance which asserted that the polls can’t be held on the President’s directives.

The provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been dissolved on January 14 and January 18 respectively, earlier than the expiry of their mandated five-year phrases on the orders of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

According to the Constitution, elections need to be held inside 90 days after the dissolution of the meeting.

Alvi, who’s a member of Khan’s celebration, stated he “felt it necessary to perform his constitutional and statutory duty to announce the date of elections to avoid the infringement and breach of the Constitution and law of holding of elections not later than ninety days”.

The President Secretariat’s Press Wing stated Alvi made the announcement based mostly on a related part of Pakistan’s Constitution.

ALSO READ | Pakistan President Alvi slammed for pressuring Election Commission to announce ballot dates

President Alvi criticised Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali for “not performing their constitutional duties of appointing a date not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution” of the provincial assemblies.

He additionally criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for “not fulfilling its constitutional obligation for holding polls” of the assemblies involved.

As anticipated, the leaders of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition authorities rejected the choice by President Alvi to carry the election of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 9.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif led the barrage of assaults when he stated within the parliament that President Alvi has no function in provincial elections.

“The president is transgressing his authority by giving election dates for provincial assembly polls. What role does he have in provincial elections?” the minister asked.

He added that the president was working as a worker of PTI instead of playing his role as the president.

“It is our historical past and plenty of ‘Number 2’ individuals have been appointed to such ‘Number 1’ roles,” he said and warned that the parliament reserves the right to “transfer legally in response to the structure in opposition to such transgressions”.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Alvi was inviting trouble and he should better work as president as per the Constitution.

“Do not make the workplace of the President a den for blackmailing others. The president has no function in giving dates for elections. He mustn’t drive the ECP to hold out his unlawful and unconstitutional orders,” he said.

Senior leader of PDM and chief of his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the president of going against the Constitution.

“The manner Arif Alvi, pondering of himself as a monarch and a PTI employee, has trampled upon and violated the Constitution, the best way he has interfered into affairs of the governor and ECP. This is clearly misconduct and the Election Commission ought to take strict motion in opposition to it,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raza Rabbani said Alvi was regularly violating the Constitution and asked him to “cease pontificating on constitutionalism” when he had violated it at least nine times.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development and senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal said, “it’s the prerogative of the ECP” and never the President to announce a date for the elections.

The dissolution of the 2 provincial assemblies is seen as a bid by Khan to push for early nationwide elections within the nation.

The former prime minister has been demanding recent polls ever since he was ousted from the highest job via a no confidence movement in April 2022.

Published On:

Feb 20, 2023