ISLAMABAD: Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar has said that President Dr. Arif Alvi can only announce the date of the National Assembly elections and not after the dissolution of the Provincial Assemblies.
Speaking in the National Assembly, the minister said that Alvi had no constitutional authority to announce the date of elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, and thus violated the constitution.
He said that Article 48 (5) of the Constitution allows the President to announce the date of elections to the National Assembly after his dissolution.
Article 48(5) states: “Where the President dissolves the National Assembly, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1), he shall fix a date not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution for the holding of general elections.” Go to the assembly and appoint a caretaker cabinet.”
“Article 105 (3) allows the governor to announce the date of holding the elections to the respective provincial assembly if he has dissolved that assembly,” Tarar said.
Article 105 (3) states: “Where the Governor dissolves the Provincial Assembly, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1), he shall, for holding general elections, not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution.” shall appoint. the Assembly and (b) appoint a Caretaker Cabinet.”
The Minister said that the Punjab Assembly was not dissolved by the Governor as it was dissolved 48 hours after the Chief Minister suggested its dissolution. He added that the governor had refused to sign the advice.
Moreover, the President could not fix the date of the election as the matter is pending in court. He said that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct elections according to Article 218 (3).
Article 218 (3) states: “It shall be the duty of the Election Commission to organize and conduct elections and to make such arrangements as may be necessary to ensure that the elections are conducted honestly, fairly, fairly and in accordance with law. are, and protected against corrupt practices.”
The federal minister said that those who talk about maintaining the constitution have violated the constitution in the past as well.
He further said that the National Assembly was dissolved by the President within three minutes following the former Deputy Speaker’s decision, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
He reminded that the President had refused to take oath from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Speaking in the House earlier, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the President’s announcement of the date of provincial assembly elections is unconstitutional, the law will take its course in this regard.
He alleged that President Alvi was “toeing his party’s line”.
He said that according to the constitution, the president can announce the date of the National Assembly elections but not for the provincial assemblies.
Expressing regret, Mohsin Dawar of the National Democratic Movement said that if the current government had tasked those who took unconstitutional measures during the no-confidence motion, such a situation would not have arisen.
Syed Agha Rafiullah of Pakistan People’s Party said that the President has exceeded his constitutional limits.
Chaudhry Mohammad Barjees Tahir of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz proposed to pass a resolution against the presidential initiative in the House.
Meanwhile, taking part in the budget debate, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Abdul Akbar Chitrali said that the increase in general sales tax rate will push more people below the poverty line.
He said that Pakistan can be put on the path of development and prosperity only if it gets out of the debt trap of the International Monetary Fund.
He urged all the political leadership to deposit at least 50 percent of their wealth in the national treasury so that the country can be rescued from the current economic crisis.
Syed Mehmood Shah of Muttahida Majlis Aam urged the chairman to decide to increase the duration of electricity supply from two hours to six hours for the farmers of Balochistan.
He pointed out that urea and other agricultural commodities are being illegally exported to the neighboring country.
PTI’s Nasir Khan Musazai said that the supplementary budget will increase inflation in the country.
PTI Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari and Nizhat Pathan also spoke on the budget.
