ECP denies issuing any statement concerning early elections

Spokesperson says the commission will fulfil its responsibility as per Constitution and law

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday denied there was any truth to reports of it being unable to hold fresh elections within three months.

According to the spokesperson of the ECP, the commission had convened an emergency meeting on election preparations.

“There is no truth in the reports that the next general elections cannot be held in three months,” the spokesperson said. “Election Commission will fulfil its responsibility under the Constitution and the law. The meeting will review the preparation in the event of general elections.”

The clarification comes as the country, following the dissolution of the National Assembly, is expected to go into early elections, with Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi already initiating a process to conduct the snap polls within 90 days.

In a tweet, the commission stated that “It is necessary to clarify that the Election Commission of Pakistan has not issued any statement regarding the election.”

الیکشن کمیشن آف پاکستان

اسلام آباد 5 اپریل 2022
ضروری وضاحت

ضروری وضاحت کی جاتی ہے کہ الیکشن کمیشن آف پاکستان نے الیکشن سے متعلق کوئی بیان جاری نہیں کیا ھے۔۔۔

ترجمان الیکشن کمیشن. #ECP #ElectionCommissionofPakistan

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) April 5, 2022

The ECP's clarification came following various media reports stating that the commission would not be able to conduct general elections in three months due to some procedural and legal challenges.

Read PTI may go for immediate elections if ousted from power

Former information and law minister Fawad Chaudhry also tweeted regarding the matter, accusing a media organisation of publishing "fake news" every day.

"Earlier, the same media group reported that Tehreek-e-Insaf was planning a massacre in Islamabad. Now it has been reported that the Election Commission has refused to hold the election," he said.

اس سے پہلے اسی میڈیا گروپ نے خبریں لگائیں کے تحریک انصاف اسلام آباد میں خواں ریزی کا منصوبہ بنا رہی ہے اب یہ خبر لگائ کہ الیکشن کمیشن نے الیکشن کرانے سے انکار کر دیا شرم بھی نہیں آتی روزانہ جعلی خبریں دینے پر https://t.co/SUnx1FzuvI

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 5, 2022

The development came as the Supreme Court is holding suo motu hearings on the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against the prime minister by the NA deputy speaker, who had linked the motion to a "foreign conspiracy" to topple the PTI government and ruled that the motion was contradictory to Article 5 of the Constitution.