QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan Assembly on Wednes­day night adopted a resolution with the majority vote that calls for postponing coming general elections till petitions filed in the courts against new delimitations of constituencies are decided.

The opposition members belonging to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), who opposed the resolution, staged a walkout when Yasmin Lehri, a member of the penal of chairpersons, put the resolution before the house for voting Provincial Minster for Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti moved the resolution in which he said that the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced holding of elections on July 25.

“But Balochistan has many areas which face extremely hot weather in the last week of July. Due to harsh weather it will not be possible for the voters to take part in the elections... Therefore, the federal government should postpone the elections till the last week of August.”

Zamarak Khan Piralizai of the Awami National Party, supporting the resolution, suggested that elections should be postponed till decisions came on the petitions filed by political parties and would-be-candidates in courts in Balochistan and other parts of the country against new delimitations.

PM calls for high treason trial over any bid to delay elections

Before staging walkout, Opposition Leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and other PkMAP lawmakers strongly opposed the resolution, terming it a conspiracy against democracy. They warned that postponement of elections would be a dangerous move which would harm the country and democracy.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called for high treason trial of those trying to delay general elections as he eulogised his party’s success in jacking up country’s energy supplies by 35-50pc in five years.

He said speculation was doing the rounds about elections being delayed but his party (the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) was not worried about such speculation and was ready to contest elections.

“The Constitution says elections must be held within 60 days after dissolution of the National Assembly and if these are delayed, those responsible should be tried under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution”, Mr Abbasi said who appeared to lose his tamper at the end of his presser over a question on corruption in liquefied natural gas.

“Those who are barking would keep barking while we have to work and will keep working”, he said, adding he was satisfied with the performance of his party that would contest elections based on its five-year record. The prime minister said his party had given him an assignment and he would keep working until 11:59:59 (midnight) of May 31 as allowed by the Constitution.

He said the irony was that allegations of corruptions were being levelled by those who were corrupt themselves and had built their assets and (accumulated) wealth while being in government. “Their own hands are not clean. They are very corrupt”, he said, adding his assets and wealth had declined since he became part of the government and corruption allegations should be hurled by those who could say their assets had declined during their political career instead of increasing.

Mr Abbasi said there was not a single scandal of corruption against his party that had ruled Pakistan for five years and entire nation was aware of the credentials of the Nawaz Sharif family that possessed well know assets even before the partition.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2018