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

President Alvi, who’s from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) occasion, on Saturday invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for an pressing assembly on February 20 to debate ballot dates for the 2 assemblies.

Islamabad,UPDATED: Feb 19, 2023 14:45 IST

Pakistan President Arif Alvi. (File picture/PTI)

By Press Trust of India: Pakistan President Arif Alvi has come underneath scathing assault from ministers of the ruling coalition for allegedly appearing on former premier Imran Khan’s recommendation to place strain on the nation’s electoral watchdog to announce ballot dates for provincial assemblies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

President Alvi, who’s from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) occasion, on Saturday invited Pakistan’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for an pressing assembly on February 20 to debate ballot dates for the 2 assemblies.

The letter was written after the president didn’t obtain a response from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on his earlier letter written on February 8. In the second letter, the president expressed his displeasure over the “apathy and inaction” on the a part of the electoral watchdog.

In separate statements, the inside, defence and legislation ministers criticised the president and reminded him of his constitutional place.

“Arif Alvi should act as [the] president of Pakistan. You should not act as Imran Khan’s spokesperson,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.

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“The president has nothing to do with announcing the election date,” he mentioned.

Sanaullah accused the president of interfering within the constitutional authority of the ECP, claiming that Khan was making an attempt to exert strain on the fee by means of the workplace of the president, the report mentioned.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif additionally criticised the president for “interfering” within the electoral watchdog’s affairs.

“Mr Arif Alvi, stay within your constitutional limits,” Asif tweeted.

“Don’t do politics. If not (for) your own, think about the honour of your position,” he added.

Asif alleged that Alvi “occupied” the place of the president because of the “selection” held within the 2018 common elections – a tacit reference to the PML-N’s declare that these polls have been rigged by the ‘powerful circles’, the report mentioned.

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Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar reminded the president that the Constitution didn’t authorise him to offer dates for the provincial meeting elections.

He mentioned Alvi shouldn’t criticise the ECP on the directives of his “leader”.

The provincial meeting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was dissolved January 18 after Governor Haji Ghulam Ali accepted the request for dissolution by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, who’s a pacesetter of Khan’s PTI occasion.

The transfer got here days after the meeting in Punjab was dissolved on Khan’s order. Both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have been dominated by the PTI.

The dissolution of the 2 provincial assemblies is seen as a bid by Khan to push for early nationwide elections. The former prime minister has been demanding contemporary polls ever since he was ousted from the highest job by means of a no confidence movement in April 2022.

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Published On:

Feb 19, 2023