Punjab polls delay: Sheikh Rashid asks SC to take suo moto notice

AML chief urges SC to restore Punjab election schedule, appoint neutral and impartial caretaker administration

LAHORE:

Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has urged the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delaying the Punjab Assembly elections until October this year.

On Wednesday, the ECP had announced that elections in the province would be delayed until October 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful polls on the scheduled date of April 30.

In an eight-page order, the ECP said that it could not hold the election “honestly, justly and fairly in a peaceful manner due to security threats [and] in the absence of funds” and being unable to provide “level-playing field” to all political parties.

Read more: PTI to move SC against ECP’s 'unconstitutional act' of delaying Punjab polls

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

On Thursday, Sheikh Rashid dispatched a letter to the top court through advocate Azhar Siddique, mentioning that on March 1, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that elections for the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies should be held within the stipulated period of 90 days.

However, the ECP proposed dates between April 30 and May 7, with President Dr Arif Alvi announcing that Punjab elections would be held on April 30. He said that the ECP's order is a violation of the Supreme Court's clear judgment.

The AML chairman requested the Supreme Court to initiate suo moto proceedings under Article 184(3) of the Constitution to enforce fundamental rights on behalf of the citizens of Punjab.

He further requested the court to restore the election schedule and give further directions to the concerned quarters, especially the ECP, to conduct elections on the previously announced poll date in compliance with the court's judgment passed in suo motu case.

Additionally, he requested the court to direct the ECP to conduct the elections in K-P within 90 days in a fair and transparent manner, in compliance with the Supreme Court's judgment.

Finally, he requested the court to remove the caretaker set-up and appoint an independent, neutral, and impartial caretaker administration in the province of Punjab.