Election Commission of Pakistan Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal on Thursday assured that the election watchdog is "fully prepared" for the polls and if the National Assembly is dissolved on August 12, the polls will be held by October 11. His five-year term is coming up. to the end .
The NA's five-year term began on 12 August 2018 under the then PTI government and was replaced by the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz after former Prime Minister Imran Khan's ouster through a no-confidence vote in April. had taken the place of will be completed under the previous year.
The ECP official's statement on the date of the election comes at a time when political parties, especially those part of the ruling coalition, are engaged in intensive consultations - reportedly apart from the timing of the polls and the monitoring setup. On other matters. Also on matters. To be held later this year.
On his behalf, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the government will hand over the reins of the country to the caretaker setup in August.
Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over whether the coalition partners will dissolve the National Assembly as usual when it expires on August 12 or advise the president to dissolve it earlier.
According to Article 224 of the Constitution, general elections to the National Assembly or the Provincial Assembly shall be held immediately after 60 days from the day on which the term of the Assembly is about to expire, unless the Assembly is dissolved sooner. "
In case of early dissolution, ECP is bound to hold general elections within 90 days after dissolution as per Article 224(2).
While most alliances have called for the elections to be held on time, especially the People's Party, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had earlier said that the assemblies were dissolved ahead of schedule to provide "convenience" to the ECP. can go
If the assemblies are dissolved earlier, the ECP will get another 90 days for elections, he said on Geo News' program 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath' when asked about the ruling party's delay in elections. said in reply. until November.
census
Another issue that has come to light regarding the elections is that of the census.
Sanaullah has also said that the government will not notify the results of the new digital 2023 census and the elections will be held on the basis of the 2017 population census. He said the decision was taken because the new census had "problems" and various stakeholders also had concerns over it.
This was also reiterated by Prime Minister Nazir Tarar earlier this week, prompting a strong response from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) which proposed new delimitations based on the latest census.
What was the demand?
While Prime Minister Shehbaz has formed a committee to redress the grievances of the MQMP, the ECP Special Secretary told reporters today that if the results of the new census are not announced, legal action will be taken on the matter. A decision will be made.
About the in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms - which is being held to suggest changes in the election rules - the official said the ECP had made more than 60 recommendations to the committee.
"As per my information, almost all our recommendations have been accepted, but it is premature to say anything until things are finalised," he added.
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