Election body senior officials hold consultative meeting with Punjab governor in Lahore today to discuss matters for conducting elections
n Caretaker CM says govt will adhere to ECP guidelines on elections.

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE    -    Following the orders of Lahore High Court to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately an­nounce a date for conducting elec­tions in Punjab, the electoral body sprang into action yesterday seek­ing a meeting with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman today to come up with an election date.

Under the Constitution of Pakistan, holding elections within 90 days of assemblies dissolution is mandatory.

The Punjab Governor and the ECP representatives would participate in the meeting being held at the Gover­nor House, Lahore. Earlier in the day, the Commission had formally written a letter to the Punjab Governor to sched­ule a meeting on February 14 to discuss the date for provin­cial elections. The top elector­al body, in a meeting presided by Chief Election Commission­er Sikandar Sultan Raja in Is­lamabad, deliberated on the election schedule in Punjab.

The LHC had on February 10 directed the Election Com­mission to fix a date for hold­ing elections to the Punjab As­sembly in consultation with the Punjab governor.

In response to the ECP’s let­ter, Secretary to the Punjab Governor Barrister Nabeel A Awan wrote a letter to the Secretary Election Commis­sion the same day informing him about Tuesday’s meeting. This letter also said that Pun­jab Chief Secretary and IGP have been invited to attend the meeting to be chaired by the governor. The Election Com­mission authorized the Special Secretary and Director Gener­al Law under the supervision of the Secretary Election Com­mission to hold consultation with the Governor and brief the Commission regarding the next plan of action.

The ECP secretary will head the discussions with the Punjab governor, along with ECP Spe­cial Secretary Zafar Iqbal Hus­sain and Director General (Law) Mohammad Arshad. The des­ignated ECP team would then brief the Commission about the talks so that it could decide on the future strategy for conduct­ing polls in the province.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Pun­jab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the caretaker govern­ment had been entrusted with the prime responsibility of hold­ing free and fair elections in the province and it would be adhering to the guidelines set forth by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in this regard. 

“The elections in Punjab would be held whenever the ECP would direct us about it,” he said while replying to a ques­tion in an interactive meeting with reporters at the chief min­ister’s office here. 

To another question, he said that all postings and transfers of senior government officials in Punjab were being made af­ter seeking prior permission from the Election Commission. 

The Punjab and KP assem­blies were dissolved on January 14 and January 18, respectively. The electoral watchdog had ear­lier written letters to the prin­cipal secretaries of Punjab and KP governors for holding polls in Punjab between April 9 and 13, and in KP between April 15 and 17.

The LHC had subsequently di­rected the ECP to immediately announce the date for elections after consultation with the gov­ernor, in his capacity as the con­stitutional head of the province.

It may be noted here that President Arif Alvi on February 8 had also urged the ECP to im­mediately announce the date for elections in KP and Punjab.

The PTI had on January 27 had approached the LHC seek­ing orders for the Punjab gover­nor to immediately announce a date for an election in the prov­ince.

Last week, KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali met his Pun­jab counterpart Rehman and agreed that the country could not afford separate elections in the current circumstances and, therefore, polls for national and provincial assemblies should be held later this year after the completion of the federal gov­ernment’s tenure in August.

“Pakistan can’t afford two sep­arate elections as billions of ru­pees will be spent on the exer­cise,” the Punjab governor had told reporters after the meeting.

“As the general elections are going to take place later this year, demand for an early elec­tion in two provinces seems out of place keeping in view eco­nomic woes of the country.”

He had also hinted at a possi­ble delay in polls, saying politi­cal forces should focus on find­ing solutions to fix the financial and security situation and not the elections.

The government’s intention not to hold polls in the two provinces within 90 days has added to the PTI’s frustration which has linked its ‘Jail Bha­ro Tehreek’ with the inordinate delay.