Islamabad:The Election Commission has declared its intention to conduct general elections in the final week of January.
According to reports from Express News, a significant meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja took place at the Election Commission. During this meeting, it was decided that the general elections would be scheduled for the last week of January 2024. Following the meeting, the Election Commission, in a written statement, explained that after assessing the constituencies’ status, it was determined that the preliminary list of constituencies would be unveiled on September 27. Subsequently, objections and suggestions regarding this preliminary list would be entertained.
The Election Commission further elaborated that after the deliberations, the final list of constituencies would be disclosed on November 30. Following this, the general elections would be held in the last week of January 2024, following a 54-day election program.
In response to this announcement, various political parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party, Muslim League-N, MQM, and JUI, expressed their support for the Election Commission’s decision. However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf raised a constitutional objection, stating that they would not accept the election date until the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Ahsan Iqbal, a PML-N leader, stated that the Election Commission’s announcement would eliminate uncertainty, urging all parties to prepare for the elections for the sake of the country’s peaceful democratic process.
The spokesperson for the Pakistan People’s Party welcomed the election date announcement but urged the Election Commission to provide a clear and definitive date. Qamar Zaman Kaira, a PPP leader, noted that this would help alleviate the prevailing uncertainty.
Siraj-ul-Haq, the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, emphasized that the Election Commission bears the responsibility of organizing the elections and assured that his party was fully prepared.
Mustafa Kamal, Senior Deputy Colonel of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan, stressed the importance of transparent elections for political stability, highlighting that controlling inflation would be a significant challenge for the incoming government.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf objected to the Election Commission’s decision, asserting that announcing a month instead of a specific election date was unexpected. They argued that the constitution mandates elections within ninety days, and any January date would fall outside this timeframe. Therefore, they would not accept any date until the Supreme Court’s final decision.
Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, expressed satisfaction with the announcement of elections in the last week of January. He dismissed rumors about an extended caretaker government, emphasizing that the elections would be conducted in accordance with the country’s constitution, thereby increasing political stability. He also assured that all political parties would be granted 54 days for their election campaigns as per constitutional provisions.
