Govt lauds ECP's decision to postpone Punjab elections

Information Minister says Punjab polls delay saved country from 'major constitutional crisis'

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) announcement delaying provincial assembly elections in Punjab as a decision 'in the best interest of the country'.

In a surprise move, the election regulatory body on Wednesday delayed the election in Punjab until October 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful polls on the previously scheduled date of April 30.

Read PTI eyes SC intervention over ECP’s move

Subsequently, the ECP withdrew its notification regarding the elections in Punjab and postponed the voting for the provincial assembly until October 8, 2023, adding that a fresh election schedule would be announced in due course.

The ECP's announcement has renewed debate about whether the top court – being ideologically divided – would compel concerned authorities to hold elections in Punjab and K-P assemblies according to the previous schedule, as it had earlier invoked suo motu jurisdiction to push for polls to be held in both provincial assemblies within 90 days of their respective dissolution.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued today, the government threw its weight behind the ECP's decision deeming the postponement a move in the right direction "keeping in mind the economic, political and security situation".

"Under Article 218 of the Constitution, the ECP is duty bound to ensure transparent, impartial and fair elections," she said adding that "Article 224 provides that there must be caretaker set-ups in the centre and provinces at the time of elections".

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Marriyum also revealed the electoral watchdog had announced its decision only after completing consultations with all stakeholders and hoped that the decision would pave the way for political stability in the country.

"There were reservations that elections might be imposed on two provinces only to feed one man's ego," she said, "[but] governments will be formed in the two provinces only after national assembly elections are held".

The statement also stressed that holding elections in April would have caused several issues due to the ongoing census. "It cannot be that elections are held in Punjab and K-P before the census and everywhere else after the census".

"If elections were held in the two provinces, they would have been controversial," the minister added predicting that if the earlier schedule had been followed, "Punjab and K-P assemblies would have dissolved in 6 months".

"The ECP has saved the country from a major constitutional crisis", she maintained, "the constitution cannot run at the whims of one man."