PTI eyes SC intervention over ECP’s move

Says election supervisor violated Constitution by delaying Punjab polls

LAHORE:

 

PTI Chairman and former premier Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had violated the Constitution by putting off the Punjab Assembly elections till October, asking everyone to stand behind the legal community “with expectation that they will protect the Constitution”.

“By postponing Punjab elections till Oct ECP has violated the Constitution. Today everyone must stand behind the legal community - the judiciary & lawyers - with expectation that they will protect Constitution. For if this is accepted today then it is the end of Rule of Law in Pak,” the PTI chief wrote on his official Twitter handle.

His tweet came shortly after ECP withdrew its notification regarding polls in Punjab scheduled for April 30, postponing elections for the provincial assembly until October 8.

In another tweet, the former premier maintained that they had not dissolved the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies to “allow a bunch of fascists to impose a reign of terror”.

“We dissolved our 2 provincial legislatures with expectation that elections would be held in 90 days as clearly given in our Constitution. We did not take this action to allow a bunch of fascists to impose a reign of terror, violating the Constitution & Rule of Law.”

Reacting over the commission's decision, PTI leaders said the commission had violated the Constitution and disobeyed the apex court order to hold elections in Punjab as per the constitutional obligation.

PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the ECP had violated the Constitution, noting that all its members who signed the notification to postpone elections in the province were guilty under Article 6 of the Constitution.

"Judges and lawyers, it's now your movement before anyone [else’s]. If you fail State will call people of Pakistan will stand behind Supreme Court and the Constitution," he tweeted.

In another tweet, the PTI leader lamented that after the ECP’s decision the Constitution and the apex court had virtually been “abolished” and the country was now without a Constitution.

“The Constitution and the Supreme Court have been effectively abolished, Pakistan is now without a constitution.”

PTI leader Andleeb Abbas said all institutions and parties which assisted the commission to take the decision should be punished under Article 6 of the Constitution.

Without naming any party of the coalition government, she said, “no matter what you do you cannot run away from elections”.

PTI leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema termed the ECP’s decision “gross violation” of the Constitution that would not go unpunished.

The party will not allow anyone to snatch the fundamental right of the people of Pakistan, she said.

Meanwhile, the PML-N hailed the ECP’s decision to delay elections, saying elections in Punjab and K-P could not have been held separately.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb observed that the election commission had taken the decision in view of the financial and security situation of the country.

She said elections in two provinces could not have been held separately, stressing that polls in the entire country should be held at the same time.

When asked that holding polls within 90 days was a constitutional requirement and the delay was seemingly unconstitutional, Marriyum said the ECP had taken the decision in the light of the Constitution.

She said Constitution did not allow holding elections separately in the country, without specifying the article as the Constitution explicitly states that polls upon dissolution of provincial assembly should be held within 90 days.

The information minister noted that the spirit of Constitution demanded that elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere, when the country has “sufficient funds”.

On being questioned whether delaying of elections would provide credence to PTI’s allegations that the ECP was working on the whims of PML-N, Marriyum stated that until recently the former ruling party had been appreciating the election supervisor for taking the “right decision” to announce polls in Punjab on April 30.

She said PTI stood by an institution when a decision by them came in the party’s favour and opposed them when the contrary happened.

PPP’s senior leader Hassan Murtaza, who seemed a bit taken aback by the ECP’s decision, talking to The Express Tribune said that he was not aware of the details.

However, he said PPP had never supported abrogation of law.

We cannot even think of supporting any violation of Constitution, he said, adding that his party gave Pakistan Constitution.

Murtaza said he was on his way to an event in connection with the election campaign.