The Senate has been notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that all preparations for the elections scheduled for February 8 have been finished and that postponing the voting will not be “advisable.”
The ECP released a statement in response to the Senate resolution, introduced by Senator Dilawar Khan on January 5 and approved by the chamber despite low attendance, asking for a postponement of the polls scheduled for February 8.
The resolution gave two grounds for postponing the polls: the severe weather in highland areas and the worsening security situations.
The ECP said in a statement today that it discussed the resolution during the meeting and noted that directives had been given to caretaker governments to “beef up security matrix and provide congenial environment to the electorate” in order to ensure peaceful elections.
Additionally, the electoral board announced that it had promised to hold elections on February 8, 2024, in a submission to the Supreme Court.
In a same vein, the ECP stated that it would not be inappropriate to bring up the fact that previous general elections and municipal elections were conducted during the winter.
Independent member Dilawar Khan pleaded with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani earlier today to see to it that his resolution, which was just approved by the parliament’s upper house, asking for a postponement of the polls scheduled for February 8th, is carried out.
Many were shocked and incredulous when, on January 5, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a motion to postpone the nation’s general elections scheduled for February 8.
Despite the House’s explicit urging and the subsequent delivery of a copy of the resolution to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Senator Dilawar stated in a letter to the Senate chairman that “it is disconcerting that no tangible steps have been taken by the ECP to postpone the General Elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.”
Senator Dilawar, who proposed the resolution, stated that he was adamant that the issues raised in it ought to be resolved right away.
“In the absence of a resolution to the raised issues, the fundamental purpose of conducting free and fair elections appears compromised.”
In order to effectively allow “participation of people from all areas of Pakistan and across the entire political spectrum in the electioneering process,” the senator stated that it is important to ensure that the elections are postponed.
The letter also stated, “I greatly appreciate your [the Senate chairman’s] prompt attention to this matter and I eagerly anticipate an update on the steps taken in this regard.”
Independent Senators Hidayat Ullah and Hilal-ur-Rehman presented two further proposals to the upper house secretariat last week, following the passage of Senator Delawar’s motion.
The country’s elections have been postponed, according to all three senators, due to the frigid weather and security concerns.
The nation’s general elections are set for February 8; electoral emblems have been distributed to all political parties and independent candidates.
The uncertainty surrounding the polls was eliminated by the Supreme Court’s judgment last month to invalidate the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to delay the appointment of returning officers (ROs).
Nonetheless, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has also recommended postponing the polls due to an increase in terror attacks across the nation, especially in KP.
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