Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday termed the postponement of elections in Punjab as unconstitutional and said that his party would approach the Supreme Court on Friday against the postponement.
Speaking at a press conference with Asad Umar and other party leaders in Islamabad today, Fawad Chaudhry said that the provincial elections in Punjab have to be held on April 30 because there is no other option in the constitution except to hold elections in 90 days. .
According to him, the Election Commission broke the constitution by postponing the elections, on which ‘action should be taken against the five members of the Election Commission under Article 6.’
The Election Commission has announced the postponement of the elections in Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan, on Wednesday night.
According to an order issued by the Election Commission, the elections to be held in Punjab on April 30 are being postponed and now these elections will be held on October 8 of the same year.
In the decree, the reason for postponing the election was stated to be the law and order situation and the financial and administrative crisis, while the President has been informed of this decision.
Fawad Chaudhry further said that they are going to the Supreme Court against the violators of the Constitution because it is the job of the Supreme Court to protect the Constitution.
“We hope that the judges will uphold the constitution and that the people will stand behind them.”
He said that the date of the election has been announced, so the provincial elections in Punjab will be held on April 30.
Fawad Chaudhry claimed that a joint session of Parliament was also called to attack the Supreme Court.
On the statement given by Imran Khan about the assassination attempt, the former minister said that the caretaker government welcomes the formation of a JIT in this regard and is ready to give full cooperation to the administration.
PTI’s decision to attend joint session of Parliament
Speaking at the press conference, Asad Umar said that PTI has decided to participate in the joint session of Parliament on Monday.
He further said that the Election Commission’s decision to postpone the elections in Punjab is against the decision of the Supreme Court.
According to him: “Barrister Ali Zafar is working on PTI’s petition against the Election Commission’s decision, which will be filed in the Supreme Court tomorrow.”
Asad Umar further said that the judges have to decide on their petition according to the constitution and the law and the people are standing behind the judges.
‘Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore High Court had decided that the Election Commission cannot give the date of the elections, it is not known which constitution they announced the new date of the elections.’
According to him: “A few hours after expressing the wish of the government allies that the elections should be held in the country on the same day, the Election Commission fulfilled this wish.”
He said that ‘strong voice will be raised against the deviation from the constitution.’
Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar today termed the Election Commission’s notification regarding the Punjab Assembly elections as ‘the best decision’ and said that if Imran Khan wants to hold a grand political dialogue, then we are ready.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that the country is facing security challenges and severe economic crisis, only one additional ballot paper is required in the joint elections of national and provincial assemblies. ‘Isn’t it a good thing that the elections should be held together?’
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Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, an expert on parliamentary affairs, while talking to Independent Urdu, said that the situation after the Election Commission postponed the Punjab elections is very sad.
“It is clearly written in the constitution that elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly and there is no scope for delaying the elections or moving the date back and forth.”
According to Ahmad Bilal, there is an unusual situation in Pakistan and it seems that the government has apparently convinced the Election Commission that the government has neither money nor security for the elections.
When such situations arise that it is legally necessary to hold an election, but there are some reasons that it is not practically possible and the Election Commission is satisfied with these reasons, then the schedule can be changed.
And if he was not satisfied, he would have made it clear under Article 220 of the Constitution that the elections will be held as per the given schedule.
He believed that the Election Commission was satisfied with the reasons given by the Ministry of Defence, Interior and Finance and decided to change the schedule.
This will raise some questions that the reasons on which the Election Commission postponed the elections were really so extraordinary that elections had to be held beyond the period given in the constitution.
“This matter will now go to the Supreme Court which will decide on it.”
Legal expert Samir Khosa said in a conversation with Independent Urdu that the Election Commission’s decision violates the Constitution. According to Section 224 of the Constitution, in case of dissolution of the Assembly, general elections have to be held within 90 days.
The Supreme Court has given a decision about these elections that the date of the Punjab Assembly elections should be given by the President along with the Election Commission.
The President gave this date as one of the dates recommended by the commission. It is clear that then the Election Commission cannot unilaterally fix the date in October.
If the Supreme Court takes notice of the recent decision, the Commission’s decision will be weak, while the Election Commission’s explanation of the law and order situation is not enough. In the past, the elections in Pakistan were also held in a worse law and order situation than the current situation.
The Supreme Court Bar also expressed serious concerns over the Election Commission’s decision and said that this violation of the Constitution will create chaos and anarchy in the country.
The Election Commission ‘abused the powers and did not take into account the Constitution and the decision of the Supreme Court. Restoration of democracy and timely elections are the demands of the situation.
Legal expert Salman Akram Raja expressed concern over the decision of the Election Commission and said that this decision is another dark moment in our history.
Legal expert Reema Umar said that the Election Commission’s six-month delay in the provincial assembly elections and justifying Article 254 is legally flawed and absurd.