Amid the Constitutional crisis, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has begun preparations for the general elections, according to a letter by PTI secretary general Asad Umar to the party’s parliamentary board accessed by News18.
The PTI will accept the President’s recommendation for a caretaker PM and will also notify its PM candidate for the elections soon, said sources.
The letter states: “…Mr Imran Khan has directed to immediately start preparations for the general elections. All Provincial Presidents of PTI are hereby required to notify Divisional Parliamentary Boards within their respective Provinces within the next seven days.”
The Divisional Parliamentary Boards will send their recommendations to the Central Parliamentary Board, which will evaluate them for allotment of party tickets to contest the elections, the letter stated.
Pakistan’s election commission on Tuesday said it will fulfil its responsibility to hold general elections in the country, if required.
Pakistan’s embattled PM Khan stunned the Opposition on Sunday by recommending snap elections, after a no-confidence motion against him was dismissed by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly. Khan then got Pakistan President Arif Alvi to dissolve the 342-member National Assembly before its term ended in August 2023.
“The Election Commission will fulfil its responsibility under the Constitution and the law. The meeting will review the preparation in the event of general elections,” the spokesperson of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), said, even as the Supreme Court is hearing a case against the rejection of the no-trust vote against Khan. The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing until April 7.
There is no truth to the reports that the next general elections cannot be held in three months, the Express Tribune newspaper quoted the ECP spokesperson as saying. Earlier, in a tweet, the commission stated that it was necessary to clarify that the ECP has not issued any statement regarding the election.
The ECP’s clarification came following media reports stating that the commission would not be able to conduct general elections in three months due to some procedural and legal challenges. The Dawn newspaper, quoting a senior official of the ECP, said due to fresh delimitation of constituencies, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the number of seats was increased under the 26th Amendment, bringing district-and constituency-wise electoral rolls in conformity were a challenge and preparations for the elections would require some six months.
Meanwhile, in view of the ongoing political turmoil in Pakistan, the United States on Tuesday asked its citizens to reconsider travel to the country due to terrorism and sectarian violence. The State Department in its latest travel advisory placed Pakistan on Level 3 of travel.
With agency inputs
Read the Latest News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment