The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declined the request for a meeting with President Arif Alvi. ECP refused stating that the matter was under judicial consideration. The president had summoned the election commissioner for an “urgent meeting” to discuss the date of the poll. However, the ECP found fault with the “choice of words” in the president’s letter. ECP claimed that it may not be able to consult with the office of the president. The commission pointed out that the matter was sub judice in various judicial fora. According to ECP it was already aware of its constitutional and legal obligations.
In a letter to the president’s secretary, the ECP secretary stated that the commission had already approached the governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ECP approached both governors after the dissolution of their assemblies for deciding the date of the polls. While both governors had responded to the letters, they had yet to issue a date. The letter also referred to the LHC’s directive on the Punjab election date and the ECP’s consultative meeting with Punjab Baligh ur Rehman.
The ECP secretary mentioned that Baligh ur Rehman intends to take legal action as the judgment is non-binding. ECP asked guidance and appealed to the high court while three writs were filed for the election date in KP.
It is important to clarify that the Constitution does not empower the Election Commission to appoint a poll date in case of the dissolution of a provincial assembly by the governor or due to afflux of time as provided in Article 112(1) of the Constitution.
