KARACHI: After the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed concerns over the general election delay, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the party was aware of the delay while consenting to the census in the Council of Common Interests meeting.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Thursday that the elections couldn’t held in three months due to the CCI’s decision to demand new delimitations after census 2023.
PPP and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senators called ECP’s decision to delay elections to implement new delimitations “unconstitutional” because the electoral body must hold elections within 90 days.
Sanaullah told that PPP’s opposition to election delays is fair, but delimitation is a constitutional duty after census notification.
The PML-N leader said the CCI notified the census with stakeholder consensus, including the PPP.
He stated that all parties agreed that only one election (2018) done using the 2017 census. It is now the constitutional requirement to hold elections with the new census.
He stated that the election based on the previous census will be unlawful and contested in court.
After the census, Sanaullah said constituencies rearranged. Asking if PPP was unaware of Article 51 clause 5.
I wanted 60-day elections instead of 90-day ones. I know PML-N’s Punjab standing. I’m sure polls will held in February 2024,” he remarked, asking why ECP wouldn’t declare the schedule following delimitations until December 14.
The former minister added that constituency delimitation is lawful and the only option.
Holding elections in 90 days is a constitutional necessity, but there is room.
The poll organising authority revealed the schedule of new delimitations for the CCI-approved census earlier this month on Thursday.
