Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Friday proposed elections of the provincial assembly on Oct 8, the same date the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) had set for the voting in Punjab.
Governor Ali wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, fixing the election date for the K-P Assembly election.
The governor also mentioned a deteriorating law and order situation in the province.
“Since the ECP has postponed the election date for the general elections of Punjab province to Oct 8, 2023, therefore, it is also suggested that same Oct 8, 2023 be proposed/appointed as election date for General Elections of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the best public interest as well as in the interest of the state,” the letter stated.
The announcement of the date came after a series of consultations held between the governor and the ECP on the order of the Supreme Court in its judgment in the suo motu case about the election date earlier this month.
The general elections of the Punjab and K-P assemblies were due after the two houses were dissolved by their respective chief ministers in January. However, in the absence of the announcement of the election date, the apex court took the suo motu notice.
The Supreme Court then ordered the president to appoint the date for election of the Punjab Assembly and the K-P governor for his province in consultation with the ECP. Subsequently, the president gave the date of April 30.
On Wednesday, however, the ECP postponed the election in Punjab until Oct 8, citing lack of funds and other security issues related to holding peaceful and transparent election.
In the letter to CEC Raja, the K-P governor also pointed out that the province was in the grip of a “fresh wave of terrorist activities” on a daily basis.
“Major terrorist activities include cross-border fire in North Waziristan, IED (improvised explosive device) blast on army vehicle in Kohat, [and] heavy exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan on March 15,” he said.
“Unidentified terrorists [opened] fire at Bara police station in Khyber district on March 19 and terrorists attacked a police station in DI Khan[, which was] followed by a search operation by the army resulting in [the] martyrdom of three soldiers on [the] night of March 21-22, 2023,” he added.
“On March 21, 2023, a convoy was ambushed in South Waziristan, resulting in [the] martyrdom of Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Burki from ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) and injuring seven other ranks wherein two are critically injured.”
On the governor’s decision, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Waleed Iqbal said that the date of Oct 8 was a deviation from the Constitution, which stipulated elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly.
“According to the Constitution, elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly,” the PTI senator told The Express Tribune. “Currently, the country is under a civilian martial law.”
On the other hand, Prime Minister’s Adviser Qamar Zaman Kaira said that though the Constitution mandated the election within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly, ground realities must be taken into consideration.
“We must see what the ground realities are,” Kaira, who is also a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said. “The process of census is also ongoing in the country. In such a situation, the holding of elections can be controversial.”
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