PPP signals flexibility on election date

Insisting that the upcoming general election should be held within the 90-day constitutional timeframe, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday appeared willing to offer a 30-day concession if the deadline could not be met, reiterating that polls were the only solution to the problems facing the masses.

Speaking to the media in Karachi, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party was ready to participate in the elections.

"Elections must be held promptly, either within 90 days or, if not [possible], within 120 days," he told reporters.

“The PPP still says that elections should be held as soon as possible, according to the Constitution and within 90 days so that we can win the polls and serve the people of the country and take them out of these difficult economic times,” he added.

Bilawal, who served as the foreign minister in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) led coalition government, said that the people currently faced three major issues — inflation, unemployment, and poverty. He added that the PPP had always helped the people and given support to the impoverished.

Read more: Vote date should align with spirit of Constitution: Alvi

He said that the people might not have a direct access to the judiciary or anyone else, but they have access to the PPP.

“People are saying that they are drowning in the tsunami of inflation ... the people demand that their problems should be solved. Their problems can only be solved by the PPP,” he added.

“Our fight is against poverty, unemployment, and inflation. With its performance, the PPP has always proven that it does the people-friendly politics and governance,” he continued.

“The PPP was ready for elections before and … is ready for elections in 90 days, according to the Constitution,” he said.
Bilawal has entered the election date debate, which has revealed differing opinions among various stakeholders.

According to the Constitution, if the National Assembly is dissolved prematurely, general elections should be held within 90 days. The last assembly was dissolved on August 9, just three days before completing its term.

However, a few days before the dissolution, the outgoing government approved the digital census results for 2023, obligating the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct polling based on the re-demarcated constituencies. The ECP had already announced a 120-day schedule for this constituency revamping process. Consequently, the ECP stated that holding elections within 90 days would not be feasible and proposed a date sometime in February of the following year.

Bilawal pointed out a difference in interpretation of the Constitution among the PPP, the ECP and the PDM.
Referring to a statement of PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said that the PPP wanted elections in 90 days, and the rest thought that these should take place after the delimitation exercise.

“The PPP engaged with the ECP on this issue. After that the ECP brought the dates for the delimitation [process] forward,” he said. However, the PPP chairman urged the ECP to announce the dates and the schedule for elections also.

Bilawal also criticized the ECP, accusing the electoral body of "unlawfully" freezing development funds in Sindh. He expressed concern that vital rehabilitation projects for flood victims in Sindh were being halted, and government officers were being transferred even before the announcement of the general election schedule.

Also read: ECP promises mid-February elections

The PPP chairman called on the ECP to investigate why this "dual policy" was seemingly being applied exclusively to Sindh, while similar rules and regulations were not enforced in the Center, Punjab, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“I demand that restrictions on development work in Sindh be lifted, and until the ECP announces the election schedule, the ban on development work should be lifted,” he stated, emphasizing that funds for flood victims in Sindh should not be frozen, mirroring the situation in Punjab and at the federal level.

Responding to questions about a meeting between business community leaders and Army Chief Gen Asim Munir, Bilawal stated that such interactions were not uncommon in the country. He noted that the business community had access to politicians, the bureaucracy, including the army chief, and the judiciary.

Addressing reports related to the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) raids against a former minister from his party, Bilawal clarified that no former PPP minister had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Regarding the ongoing political situation, Bilawal commented on a politician who had built a political narrative around imprisoning others but found himself incarcerated. He emphasized that this situation served as a message to all politicians and urged an end to the practice of creating political puppets.

Bilawal highlighted the need to allow the people of Pakistan to decide their future through free and fair elections. He expressed the PPP's commitment to democratic processes and the will of the people.

Bilawal received a warm welcome from party workers and the public upon his arrival in Malir. He visited the residence of former PPP National Assembly member Sher Muhammad Baloch in Dawood Goth. Later, he paid a visit to the residence of the late Farooq Faria, former Saddar Town nazim, in the Civil Lines area, where he extended his condolences to Farhan Faria, the bereaved son, and prayed for the departed soul.