PTI Chairman Imran Khan spokesperson for the legal team said that Imran Khan has said that the President of Pakistan should give a favorable date for the election according to Article 48 (5) of the Constitution so that a people’s representative government comes.
He said a people’s representative government is necessary for the economic stability of the country.
خان صاحب نے کہا ہے کہ صدر پاکستان کو آئین کے آرٹیکل 48(5) کے مطابق الیکشن کی فوار تاریخ دینی چاہیے،تاکہ عوامی نمائیندہ حکومت آۓ اور ملک میں معاشی استحکام ہو.
— Naeem Haider Panjutha (@NaeemPanjuthaa) September 13, 2023
The statement came despite the fact that the Law Ministry clarified that President Alvi has nothing to do with the announcement of the general elections date and only ECP has sole competence to announce the date.
Earlier in the day, the Law ministry said that federal and all provincial law ministers resolved that as per the Constitution, the conduct of general elections and announcement of election dates is the sole competence of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Minister for Law and Justice, Ahmad Irfan Aslam convened a meeting with Provincial Law Ministers, Mr. Kanwar Dilshad (Punjab), Mr. Muhammad Omer Soomro (Sindh), Mr. Arshad Hussain Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Mr. Amanullah Kanrani (Balochistan), to discuss matters pertaining to the upcoming general elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies today ( September 13) During the meeting, all Law Ministers underscored the importance of upholding the principles of democracy and ensuring smooth conduct of elections.
It was unanimously agreed that the Constitution must be read as a whole and no provision of the Constitution must be read in isolation of other relevant provisions. As per the Constitution, the conduct of general elections and announcement of election dates is the sole competence of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The Provincial Law Ministers emphasized that in order to strengthen the Federation, ensure harmony amongst all federating units, and avoid unnecessary financial burden on the national exchequer incurred owing to the provision of security arrangements on different election dates, the general elections to the National and the four Provincial Assemblies must be held on the same day.
The Election Commission of Pakistan is an independent constitutional body. It is the responsibility of all organs of the State to respect the autonomy of the Election Commission and its authority in carrying out the delimitation of constituencies and determining the election schedule. The discussion highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections in Pakistan, adhering to the principles of democratic governance. The Federal and Provincial Governments remains dedicated to promoting a democratic and inclusive electoral environment.
