ISLAMABAD: Civil society organisations and labour leaders on Wednesday welcomed the verdict of the Supreme Court regarding holding of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial elections within 90 days.

Participants of an online meeting, held under the aegis of Pattan said it must be respected by all political leaders including the ruling parties and opposition. They noted that the best way forward was to accept the verdict and not to waste further time on litigation on the issue.

They also appealed to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take the lead in this regard, and urged it to announce the election schedule for both provinces without any further delay. The meeting was joined by Latif Ansari, chairman of the Labour Qaumi Movement and members of Coalition 38 – an umbrella organisation of nearly 200 associations and individuals. The participants noted that though the Supreme Court verdict was based on the Constitution and law, it also reflected feelings and thoughts of majority of the people.

According to various opinion polls including Pattan’s own surveys, most of the respondents including pro-PML-N and PPP voters wanted to opt for early elections in the country. Also, a large majority of the people believe that early elections would help improve the economic situation. The participants also appealed to caretaker administrations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to act according to the law.

They observed with deep distress the wholesale transfers and postings of civil servants and police officials in both provinces and said this was not allowed under section 230(2) of the Elections Act 2017. They alerted the ECP that this will have a negative impact on voters’ turnout in the upcoming elections.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023