PTI slams Solangi, ECP for censuring Alvi

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI on Saturday lashed out at the caretaker government’s information minister and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for censuring President Dr Arif Alvi’s statement about providing a level playing field to all political parties before the general polls, claiming that the interim set-up and electoral body’s “shameful role” was not hidden from anyone.

In response to separate statements issued by caretaker Federal Information Minister Murtaza Solangi and the ECP, the PTI spokesperson maintained that the nation was well aware of the “shameful tactics” of the interim government as well as the elections supervisory body to deprive the party of its constitutional and legal rights to freely contest the polls.

“The shameful role of caretaker government and the election commission in continuously depriving the PTI of a level playing field is not hidden from anyone,” the spokesperson responded a day after the interim federal information minister and ECP spokesperson criticised the president.

Solangi and the commission expressed their discontent with the president for rallying behind PTI’s concerns over a level playing field and attempts to make the electoral process “suspicious”.

The president found himself under fire from multiple fronts after his move to convey in a letter to the interim prime minister the PTI’s concerns about the alleged infringements of citizens’ rights and erosion of a fair electoral contest.

Berating Dr Alvi for advocating the PTI’s line, Solangi said the whole nation wanted the president to play his role as the symbol of the federation and not give an impression that he was a “spokesperson for a party”.

The ECP also sounded alarm over what it termed “an attempt to make the transparency of the upcoming polls suspicious”.

“An attempt is being made by a high official to make the transparency of the upcoming election suspicious,” the ECP spokesperson maintained in a statement.

“This behaviour is [inappropriate],” he said, adding that the ECP was determined that the elections would be fair and transparent.

Read More: Alvi under fire for advocating PTI’s poll concerns

In a statement issued on Saturday, the PTI spokesperson condemned the interim information minister’s “absurd statement” against Dr Alvi, saying that a person holding the portfolio “unconstitutionally and illegally” after the expiry of the prescribed constitutionally mandated period should be “ashamed of teaching the Constitution” to the elected president.

The PTI spokesperson noted that commenting on the constitutional role of the head of state by the caretaker minister, whose sole responsibility was to conduct free and transparent elections in the country, did not suit the latter in any way.

He suggested that instead of “lecturing” the president on the Constitution, the caretaker government should focus on providing equal opportunities to all political parties before the elections and stop facilitating the “nefarious agenda of pre-poll rigging”.

The PTI noted that the president had announced the general elections date under his constitutional powers and stressed on ensuring free, fair and transparent polls.

The PTI spokesperson underlined that Article 41 of the Constitution empowered the president to shield the constitutional rights of all citizens.

He claimed that in the country’s history, Dr Alvi was the only president who had performed his duties in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution.