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ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has offered his services to help break the political deadlock over holding national and provincial assembly elections on the same day.
His invitation to political parties to meet to resolve the issue came on the same day that President Dr. Arif Alvi announced the date of the Punjab Assembly elections.
The speaker stated that elections for the National Assembly and provincial assemblies should be held on the same day to avoid future complications; thus, it is critical to sit together and decide.
The speaker stated that the educated class can help to improve the country’s situation, which he believes is caused by abuse and negative propaganda.
He also stated unequivocally that Pakistan will never go bankrupt.
According to Ashraf, the government will accept whatever date the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sets for the provincial assembly elections.
“I want elections to be held on time; elections will be held in accordance with the Constitution and the law,” said the speaker. “If there are issues, they can be resolved by sitting down and reaching a consensus.”
The speaker suggested that political parties negotiate to hold all elections on the same day.
“It is better to sit together and decide today to avoid post-election complications,” he added.
Ashraf’s remarks follow the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision in the suo motu case involving elections to the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The Supreme Court ruled that elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the legislatures.
The 3-2 split verdict issued by a five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court stated that it was the federation’s constitutional duty, under Clause (3) of Article 148 of the Constitution, to ensure that the government of each province was carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
Following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) recommendation, President Dr. Arif Alvi announced the date for the Punjab provincial elections on Friday, April 30.
