Election date wrangle ‘to end up in court’

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi is determined to fix date for general elections in the country but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would discard it immediately if he ventured for it.

“The tug-of-war is bound to happen in the higher judiciary in the wake of such development. The court would give final verdict on this count,” highly placed constitutional sources told The News here Monday.

The question of authority of the president for determining the poll day has created new line up in political divideas Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s loyalists of the PPP have gone close to the position of the PTI in the matter while Asif Ali Zardari stands by the other side of the divide.

The caretaker administration is siding with the ECP which claims of having authority of announcing the date through an amendment in the Election Act, adopted by the Parliament two months ago.

The ECP is of the view that fresh delimitation of constituencies based on the latest census is mandatory for announcing the election schedule. Prominent jurist and former law minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar has also made it clear that the ECP has to give date for elections.

The sources reminded that the Presidency has suddenly become active after pause of about 10 days and hinted for making some announcement. The caretaker law minister had met the president to explain constitutional position. It was his second meeting with Alvi in less than 10 days.

The president has received fresh communication from his party, the PTI, asking him to announce the polling day in accordance to the Constitution. A faction of lawyers has also extended its support for authority of the president. The president is keen to give a date for polls before change of hands in the Supreme Court so that the matter goes to the incumbent chief justice who can conveniently fix it for hearing and it could be heard in next week.

The sources reminded that in any situation, the 90 days deadline wouldn’t be adhered to since the ECP has to take at least 54 days for scheduling general elections.

Before that the commission will have to wrap up, or complete process of delimitation. The erstwhile ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) has hurled serious allegations on the president and alleged that he wanted to create economic, political and constitutional crisis along with uncertainty through appointing a day for elections.