Senators from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have spoken out against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision on new constituencies, saying it is “unconstitutional” as the electoral body is bound to Is. Elections within 90 days.
A day earlier, the poll organizing authority announced the new delimitation schedule as per the new census approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) earlier this month.
The ECP schedule shows that the new constituencies will take about four months, meaning that general elections in the country cannot be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the provincial and national assemblies.
In an official statement, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said that the publication of the final list of constituencies by the ECP is a violation of Article 224 of the Constitution as it mandates that elections be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly. Is.
“The delimitation of constituencies follows from the Elections Act, 2017, especially when the provincial number of seats is not being affected. The time provisions in the schedule should be squeezed to meet the constitutional requirement,” the statement said. was,” the statement said.
He added that the ECP could have sought additional staff from the federal and provincial governments to ensure elections within 90 days.
“Earlier there was an attempt to provide a fig leaf to violate the constitution but in the last four years the constitution has been violated at will and convenience,” Rabbani said, adding that it is for the federation is “very dangerous”.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said the electoral body’s decision to postpone the polls under the guise of new constituencies was “unconstitutional”.
الیکشن کمیشن کا حلقہ بندیوں کی آڑ میں قومی انتخابات کو موخر کرنے کا فیصلہ غیر دستوری ہے۔ یہ الیکشن کمیشن کا اپنے اختیارات سے تجاوز ہے اور دستور کے آرٹیکل 224 کی کھلم کھلا خلاف ورزی ہے۔ سینیٹ آف پاکستان @SenatePakistan ، ہاؤس آف دی فیڈریشن جس میں چاروں صوبوں کی یکساں نمائندگی ہے… pic.twitter.com/18CNFRx0f0
— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan | سینیٹر مشتاق احمد خان (@SenatorMushtaq) August 17, 2023
He said the decision was a violation of Article 224 of the Constitution, adding that the CCI had no authority to approve the census. Khan also said that the previous government facilitated the ECP in this “unconstitutional process”.
