NEW DELHI, Feb 20 – Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi has announced new elections for the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the Election Commission dragged its feet on the issue and declined his invitation to discuss a poll date.
He announced April 9 as the date for holding elections in both provinces.
Elections became due after the previous governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, controlled by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), dissolved the assemblies last month before their five-year term.
“The Governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not performing their constitutional duties for appointing a date, not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution of Provincial Assemblies as per the Constitution of Pakistan. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is also not fulfilling its constitutional obligation for holding polls for the Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the Pakistan president’s office said in a letter addressed to ECP chief Sikander Sultan Raja on Monday.
The president in a letter on Feb 8 had told the ECP to immediately announce the date for general elections in the two provinces.
Alvi said on Monday he “felt it necessary to perform my constitutional and statutory duty to announce the date of elections to avoid the infringement and breach of the Constitution and law” that requires the holding of elections within 90 days of assembly dissolution.
The ECP has faced criticism from Imran’s party and his allies for not announcing new elections.
The PTI has also been calling for a national general election since its federal government was ousted in a controversial vote of no-confidence in April last year.
