Alvi, Imran flay ECP for not announcing K-P, Punjab poll dates

ECP has failed to fulfil its constitutional duty by not giving date of elections, says PTI chief

LAHORE:

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has failed to fulfil its constitutional duty by not giving the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Imran made these remarks while speaking to President Dr Arif Alvi who called on the former premier at his Zaman Park residence.

Both leaders deliberated upon the current political situation and elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside Imran’s residence, PTI leader Farrukh Habib claimed that "some unknown forces" were trying to prevent elections in the country.

"The recent communications of the federal finance ministry and the federal interior ministry indicate reluctance in providing funds and security for the elections on the behest of unknown powers," he added.

Habib claimed that in an official communiqué, the ministry of finance said it does not have the funds to hold elections while Rana Sanaullah’s interior ministry wrote a letter saying it cannot provide security for the elections.

Read more: Imran fears next polls would be rigged due to ‘anti-PTI postings’

He asserted that the coalition government has money for foreign visits, government’s publicity and an army of 85 ministers but it does not have funds for elections which would decide the fate of the country.

"Same is the case with the security... the government has ample resources for the provision of security to the PDM leaders but it cannot guard on the election day," he said.

After these letters, Habib said, our fears that some forces want to prevent elections turned out to be true and someone has stopped the ECP from giving the date for the elections. "It was clearly written in the Constitution that all institutions of the country have to support the ECP,” he added.

The PTI leader said that 10 months ago through a conspiracy, their government was removed, accusing former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of imposing a group of thieves on the nation. He underlined that the group was engaged in human rights violations and flouting the Constitution.

He also said if the assemblies were dissolved before the term, elections were to be held within 90 days and thus there was no provision in the Constitution for delaying the elections.

“Taking a constitutional path, Imran dissolved the provincial assemblies, but still this government was adamant not to hold elections,” he concluded.