Agitation if polls delayed, warns PPP

Senior party leaders seek Senate debate on the issue

KARACHI: As controversy over delay in elections rises, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced that it will summon a Senate session on the issue.

The idea was put forward by senior PPP leaders at a press conference on Saturday at Bilawal House where party leadership also threatened agitation in case the polls were postponed.

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Sherry Rehman said that all political parties were against the idea of delaying polls and “we are approaching them to summon a Senate discussion over it”.



“We are taking this issue at every constitutional platform to ensure timely elections," said Rehman, lauding the remarks of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to hold the elections on time.

"Balochistan Assembly resolution and verdicts of the Islamabad and Lahore high courts have created confusion and the PPP will not tolerate such kind of conspiracies,” she added.

The senator also dispelled impression whether columns of asset declaration had been deleted from nomination form.

"All political parties in the National Assembly and the Senate unanimously passed the law and no court can overrule it,” she said, adding that Pakistan was passing through a critical situation and the previous government had given no relief to masses.

Former leader of the opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah was of the view that parliament could only amend any act and the election form was finalised with consensus of all parties.

"Former speaker of the National Assembly and the secretary Election Commission of Pakistan are going to challenge LHC decision in apex court. We have high hopes in the chief justice, who is the only ray of hope for us," he said, adding that conspiracies were being hatched, but the CJP in his recent statement had given good news.



Nayyar Bukhari diverted attention towards the last Senate elections and said, "Senate polls were also held on this nomination form. If it's rejected, the Upper House polls will also be questionable.”

Earlier, the Central Election Board held a meeting to discuss nominations of party candidates from Balochistan for next general elections.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari presided over the meeting participated in by former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Farhatullah Babar, Faryal Talpur, PPP Balochistan President Ali Madad Jattak, Iqbal Shah, former deputy chairman Senate Sabir Baloch, Sadiq Umrani and Ghazala Golo.