No signal from ‘any quarter’ to postpone elections: Solangi

Only ECP had the constitutional authority to postpone polls, says info minister

ISLAMABAD:

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Friday said that the government had received no signal from “any quarter” to postpone the general election, scheduled to be held on February 8.

The statement came after the Senate passed a resolution seeking a delay in elections citing security concerns. The resolution, presented by independent Senator Dilawar Khan, was opposed by Solangi and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnan Ullah Khan.

The upper house of parliament has a total of 100 members, out of which a mere 14 were present during today’s session. “So far, no signal has been received from any quarter regarding postponement of elections,” he said while talking to the media outside the Parliament House in Islamabad.

Read more: Senate passes resolution seeking delay in elections citing ‘security concerns’

Only the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he said, had the constitutional authority to postpone the elections. “According to Article 218(3) of the Constitution, it was the power of the ECP, to conduct elections, give a date or change the date for elections,” he said. “We cannot interfere in the affairs of a constitutional body.”

The minister lamented that he did not get a chance to give arguments in the resolution on the postponement of the elections in the upper house.
Acknowledging the problems mentioned in the resolution as genuine, Solangi, however, stated that these had existed in the past as well.
The minister maintained that it was the government’s responsibility to look into the issues of harsh weather and other matters including law and order.