ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani said on Tuesday that despite passage of six days after dissolution of National Assembly, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not yet announced any schedule for the general elections.
The Senator said, “Time passes rapidly over the 90 days’ constitutional deadline for elections but regretfully the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to issue a comprehensive statement on the election.”
“The ECP should inform about the time limit it required for fixing boundaries of constituencies after approval of the digital population census results,” Raza Rabani maintained.
He emphasized, “The election commission should not treat the issue as a routine matter.” “The delay in holding elections within the period allowed by the constitution, will bring serious consequences for the federation,” he cautioned.
Senator Raza Rabbani had earlier also warned that delay in elections would prove to be “dangerous” for the federation.
The PPP Senator had commented after the CCI unanimously approved the 7th Population and Housing Census, making it almost certain that the general elections would not be held within the constitutional period and during the current year as the election commission will be needed time for fresh delimitation of the constituencies according to the new census figures.
Apprehensions about delay in elections
The Constitution provides that if the assembly completes its tenure, elections are to be held in 60 days, but in case of premature dissolution — which will be the case here — this period is extended to 90 days.
However, a few days ago, former opposition leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz said that general elections would be held in February — three months later than the constitutionally allowed limit of 90 days that falls in November.
Recent statements by former interior minister Rana Sanaullah and former defence minister Khawaja Asif — both PML-N leaders — have also consolidated the likelihood that polls will be delayed beyond the 90-day timeframe.
When asked in a Geo News programme if 2023 was the year when elections would be held, Sanaullah had said, “It is an absolutely straightforward answer — no.”
He had stated the same while speaking in another programme: “I cannot predict the future but if 90 days have turned into 120 days, there is a clear constitutional argument present for it.”
Separately, in an interview with CNN, Asif had noted that elections were “due in November” but had also acknowledged: “There is a possibility of a delay but not more than a couple of months on technical grounds, and no ulterior motive in that.”
After the Council of Common Interests had approved the 2023 census results on August 5, a Dawn report also cited a senior ECP official as saying that the commission was “now legally bound to go for fresh delimitation, which would take at least four months”.
