Poll Date
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the date for the upcoming elections as February 11, 2024, receiving a warm welcome from the country’s major political parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
During a significant development on Thursday, the ECP’s lawyer conveyed this date to the Supreme Court’s three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, as they considered petitions advocating for timely elections across the nation.
Nayyer Bukhari, a representative of the PPP, commended the ECP’s announcement, emphasizing that his party had consistently advocated for the punctual holding of elections.
He underscored the importance of adhering to the constitutional requirement of conducting elections within 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies. Bukhari also stressed the accountability of the ECP to the people and the Supreme Court in this matter.
On the other hand, Ayaz Sadiq, a senior PML-N leader, expressed optimism about the commencement of the election process, noting that it is the ECP’s responsibility to determine the poll date. Irfan Siddiqui, another PML-N leader, welcomed the announcement and highlighted the significance of the Supreme Court’s involvement in increasing the announcement’s credibility.
Amin Ul Haque from MQM-P welcomed the ECP’s decision but emphasized the importance of continuing the democratic tradition through free and fair elections. He called for an avoidance of past issues, such as the failure of the RTS system in 2018 and delayed election results.
Zahid Khan, a leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), expressed skepticism about the ECP’s sincerity in holding elections and questioned the delay in setting an election date. He called on the Supreme Court to intervene and seek the election schedule from the ECP.
Barrister Ali Zafar, the lawyer representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), noted that the Supreme Court’s decision on the election delay case could be a significant and transformative development. He underscored the Supreme Court’s stance that once an election date is set, it should be final and unchangeable. The lawyer also expressed hope that the date would be officially announced soon, calling it a potentially historic and game-changing decision by the Supreme Court.
