The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to hold by-elections under pressure, according to senior vice-president of the PTI Fawad Chaudhry.
The PTI leader claimed in a statement on Tuesday that the decision to hold by-polls and local body elections was made as a result of media pressure.
Fawad stated that the ECP opted to organise the elections even though the government was unwilling to hold by-elections and local government elections.
The PTI leader made his comments hours after the ECP declared it would hold Karachi’s local body elections and by-elections on their appropriate dates.
The ECP said in a statement on Tuesday [October 11] that by-elections for seats in the national and provincial assemblies will take place on October 16, and the second phase of Karachi’s local body elections will take place on October 23.
Both elections are running late. As a result, the commission denied the requests to postpone the elections.
However, the ECP has postponed the NA-45 by-election due to security concerns.
In a separate statement, the PTI leader stated that Pakistan’s establishment has never been more unpopular than it is today. He claimed that as long as the establishment supported the PTI government, it was popular.
The incumbent government’s growing unpopularity has also drowned out the establishment, according to Fawad.
The government cannot operate in this manner because it is supported by the establishment, he said, adding that the establishment is also suffering as a result of the situation.
The ECP meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, decided to hold the election despite reservations from the federal and Sindh governments, among other things, due to a lack of security personnel.
