Pak President Urges Election Commission To Announce Punjab And Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Election Dates

Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Wednesday urged the country's top election body to announce the dates for the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces immediately or be held responsible for violating the Constitution.
     
The two provincial assemblies were dissolved in January by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan to force the government to call early national elections, which the ruling coalition has refused to do.
     
Elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the two provincial assemblies, but the dates have not been announced so far, prompting the President to write a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
     
Alvi urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), head of the ECP, to “immediately announce the date of elections for provincial assemblies as per Elections Act, 2017 by issuing the election schedule for provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).”
     
The President said that as provided by Article 224(2) of the Constitution, the election of an Assembly is to be held within 90 days of the dissolution. 
     
He said that it was ultimately the ECP that, in case of failure to discharge its functions and duties, would be held responsible and answerable for the violation of the Constitution.
     
The Commission had taken an appropriate constitutional step and had announced the holding of bye-elections of National Assembly seats of different constituencies, he added and concluded that he was of the firm view that there were no such circumstances in the country that provided any justification for delaying or postponing the elections.
     
The ECP had asked the governors of the two provinces to set dates for fresh elections, but both the governors urged the commission to announce dates, keeping the security situation in view.
     
Alvi's letter comes a day after the ruling coalition insisted that the country could not afford separate polls. It gave wind to the rumours that provincial elections would not be held on time.
     
Khan, the former premier, has also threatened to protest and launch an ‘embrace arrest’ movement to fill all jails with his workers if elections were not held on time.