ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence has approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan to request that the general elections for all the provinces be held simultaneously.
The federal government supports this position and has opposed separate general elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The National Assembly’s term and the legislature of two other provinces, Sindh and Balochistan, end later this year, and the government wants the polls to take place at that time, not in May, as directed by the Supreme Court on April 4.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had postponed the Punjab Assembly polls until October 8, but the Supreme Court declared this decision “unconstitutional.” Despite the court’s orders, the government passed a resolution in parliament against the verdict, stating that it would not provide funds to the ECP for polls. The ECP has reported that the election on May 14 is becoming impossible due to the lack of funds and security forces.
The PTI has dissolved both assemblies and demanded that the government hold elections across the board. The difference of opinion emerged among the coalition partners on holding dialogues with the opposition, PTI.
In a meeting of allied parties on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejected any conditional talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He stressed the need for unity among the ranks of the coalition partners and expressed his satisfaction with the completion of a year in power since the ouster of Imran Khan. The meeting, held in the Prime Minister’s House, was attended by the coalition parties to discuss the current political situation in the country and the upcoming Punjab elections. The allies parties denounced Imran Khan’s behavior in the meeting as ‘stubbornness’ and stated that those elements spreading hatred among the nation should not be taken seriously even in discussions.
