Says elections should be held in Oct-Nov
ISLAMABAD
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday addressed the federal cabinet and said it was not the domain of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to mediate among political parties.
The coalition government, he said, was determined to press for same-day polls. Sources quoted the prime minister as having said parliament rejected the April 4 decision of the three-member bench of the apex court and the government and its allies supported the top court’s 4-3 verdict.
The Prime Minister stressed that the Supreme Court, instead of paying heed to parliament’s concerns, was still trying to take the matter forward by the three-member bench. Talking about the role of the Supreme Court in talks between the PTI and coalition government, the prime minister said the top court’s job was not mediation but to give decisions in line with the constitution.
He also levelled allegations against the PTI that rather than helping the incumbent set-up, it made the matters worse. He added that despite unsupportive behaviour of the PTI, the incumbent set-up was ready to hold talks with it for the country’s sake.
Highlighting the elections date, he said the current assembly would complete its term on August 13 this year and the polls would be held after 90 days of completion of the assembly. He said there was consensus within the ruling parties that the polls should be held on the same day.
“There is a consensus that the assembly would complete its term on August 13 and general elections must be held in October-November,” said Shehbaz Sharif.
The premier reiterated that the parliament would decide about the disbursement of funds to the el election commission for conducting polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
He further said, “Parliamentary committee will discuss the terms of talks between the coalition government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding holding elections across the country on the same day”.
The premier’s address comes hours after he held an important meeting with coalition partners to discuss the possibility of talks with the opposition PTI on SC’s directives. The Attorney General for Pakistan and federal ministers also attended the meeting.
The meeting was briefed by the legal team on the election fund case and the negotiations with opposition, say sources. It is to be noted here that the government had assured the Supreme Court of holding talks with the opposition over elections in two provinces on April 26.
During SC’s last hearing on polls delay case, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had assured the Supreme Court that they will sit with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and try to find a solution on the election date.
A three-member bench of the top court — headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — has sought a progress report on the talks by April 27.
The Supreme Court – in its April 4 order – declared Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone elections to the Punjab Assembly till October 8 “unconstitutional” and fixed May 14 as new date.
The National Assembly later passed a resolution rejecting the three-member Supreme Court bench’s verdict on the Punjab polls, stating that it would not provide funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for polls.
Earlier, the PM presided over a consultation session of allies. The parliamentary leaders of the allied parties participated in the session. According to sources, the meeting began at 12:30pm at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss the current political situation and carve out a plan for the future.
The prime minister consulted leaders regarding negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the session also pondered over proposing a date of the upcoming elections in Punjab. The Supreme Court advised the political parties to consult each other.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari already expressed their stance at a press conference. The Supreme Court would be informed about the decisions made during the consultations with the parties in the alliance.
Before Eidul Fitr, a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, had given the political parties a week to develop a consensus on the date for holding national and provincial elections simultaneously. The apex court had also directed them to submit a progress report on April 27 about the meeting of political leaders scheduled to be held on April 26.
