After the Supreme Court’s favorable verdict on the delay in Punjab Assembly elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday approached the Supreme Court to direct Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali to announce elections for the province. Referred.
A petition filed by Barrister Gauhar Khan on behalf of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Speaker Mushtaq Ghani has pleaded that the Governor is following the directions of the Supreme Court’s March 1 judgment – which gave President Arif Alvi the date for the Punjab elections. was directed to declare and Ali for K.P.
On 24 March, Governor Ali urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections in the province on 8 October, the same date the election watchdog announced for Punjab, considering the rise in terrorist activities. what was
The PTI had already opposed the delay in the Punjab elections and after several hearings, the country’s highest court on Tuesday in its unanimous judgment nullified the ECP’s decision on the Punjab and KP elections. The authority had ordered that early elections be held in May. 14 as history of the Punjab.
Two days later, the PTI has now approached the Supreme Court seeking its intervention in holding elections in KP.
The petition filed today reiterated that the elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the assembly and the governor was going back on his decision as he had announced the elections on May 28.
“There is no provision under the Constitution that allows an unelected and an elected caretaker government to continue functioning for more than 90 days,” the petition said, adding that allowing this “constitutionally is beyond the scope and purview of An unrepresentative government will continue to govern the population of Pakistan, including a province.
The petitioner said the petition was filed “immediately”, asking the court to:
- “Set aside the impugned letter dated 24-03-2023 of the Governor’s PK, inter alia, on the above grounds.
- “Set aside the impugned letter dt.24-03-2023 contrary to the directions issued by this Hon’ble Court vide Const.P.02/2023 dated 01-03-2023 and order 2023 is unanticipated in terms of 04-04-2023 passed in Const.P.05/2023;
- 27-03-2023 as illegal, illegal and without legal authority as well as set aside the notification against the order dt.01-03-2023 and is unexpected in view of the order dt.04-04- . 2023 passed in Const.P.05/2023;
- “In the circumstances of this case to direct the ECP to the KP Assembly General Elections within 90 days subject to the minimum such time limit;
- “Any other relief as may be deemed appropriate and in appropriate circumstances.”
Chronology of the issue
In November last year, the PTI chairman announced the dissolution of the KP and Punjab assemblies, and after much back and forth, the legislative assemblies were dissolved in January — on January 14 in Punjab and January 18 in KP. .
Then came the stage of announcing the election dates and the governors of both the provinces were reluctant to release the dates till the order of the Supreme Court on March 1.
After the announcement of the dates, the ECP consulted the provincial and federal authorities, and did not get a favorable response, as the authorities refused to support the election watchdog.
Citing its responsibility to ensure fair elections in the country, the Election Organizing Authority, in a notification, outlined its various efforts to ensure that the commission discharges its responsibilities diligently.
