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LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stated on Thursday that it would appeal the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone general elections in Punjab to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC).
PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar declared during a news conference in Lahore that the party would appeal the decision of the electoral watchdog to move the Punjab general elections from April 30 to October 8.
The ECP’s decision to postpone the polls, according to the former federal minister, has breached the Constitution and is in violation of the Supreme Court’s instructions.
He remarked that the ECP “cannot announce dates for polls as per the rulings of Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar high courts,” and he questioned under what constitutional clause the commission had altered the date.
Moreover, Asad Umar said that the election commission had carried out the ruling coalition’s request to postpone the polls. He continued, “The ECP cannot declare the election date after President Dr. Arif Alvi announced it.
He declared that Lawyer Ali Zafar would petition the Supreme Court the following day to reschedule the elections for April 30.
Haji Ghulam Ali, the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), will also face a contempt petition from PTI for “committing Article 6,” Asad Umar stated.
He expressed “complete faith” in the Supreme Court and hoped that the poll will take place on the day President Dr. Arif Alvi had announced it. “Under no circumstances will we let anyone violate the constitution,” he continued.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry took over the press conference and announced that the party had filed a lawsuit against the ECP in the highest court for “breaching the Constitution.” Elections must be held on April 30 because there is no other choice, he insisted.
Fawad Chaudhry stated that the appeal filed by the former ruling party would ask the court to force the province’s elections to be held in accordance with the previous schedule.
The Punjab by-elections, which were supposed to take place on April 30, had been postponed, according to an announcement made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday.
The ECP decided to postpone the Punjab election and declared October 8, 2008, as the new date for elections in Punjab after withdrawing the Punjab Election Program announcement issued on March 8.
The ECP spokesman stated that Dr. Arif Alvi, the president, had also been informed of the Punjab poll’s postponement and that the revised election schedule will be made public shortly.
It is important to note that Punjab elections will take place on April 30 as President Arif Alvi declared on Friday.
President Alvi made the declaration shortly after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suggested dates for the provincial elections in response to the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling.
The President’s office tweeted, “President Dr. Arif Alvi has announced to hold general elections for the Punjab Assembly on April 30, Sunday.”
It said, “The president took the choice after taking into account the dates suggested by the Pakistani Election Commission.”
