• PPP stands alone on 90-day demand; urges Nawaz, Maryam not to back polls delay
• JUI-F unable to grasp rationale behind PPP’s ‘aggressive approach’
• ECP invites JI, MQM for consultations on electoral roadmap

KARACHI: The ECP’s announcement to initiate fresh delimitation in light of the notification of the latest census results seems to have put the former coalition partners on a collision course.

Only a day after the PPP demanded elections within 90 days — which would only be po­s­sible if the delimitation exe­rcise is put off — the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) joi­ned the ranks of those endorsing fresh delimitations, the others being PML-N and JUI-F.

The PPP leadership in Pun­jab has urged PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz not to back delay in elections as it would hurt their prospects of contesting the elections.

After a meeting of its coordination committee on Saturday, MQM-P also vowed to take all possible steps for this demand, including legal course. It said the fresh delimitation exercise was crucial for free and fair polls.

“The fresh delimitation is now a legal requirement after the new census results. It’s also crucial for free and fair elections. The MQM-P would take every possible constitutional and legal course to make it happen,” said the party spokesman in a brief statement.

On Friday the PPP, after its CEC meeting, claimed it had agreed to approve the digital census results in a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) — which has now become an excuse to delay polls — only after assurances that the move would not cause any delay in the polls.

Hinting that the party may take a “legal course” for its principled stand if its last attempt to convince the Election Commission of Pakistan on August 29 to meet the 90-day constitutional deadline remained unsuccessful, the party said the next central executive committee meeting of the party to be held in Lahore in September would announce a final strategy.

Talking to Dawn, Senator Waqar Mehdi reaffirmed the PPP stance saying the party had kept its options open in case the ECP insisted on delaying the polls beyond the constitutionally-mandated deadline.

“In this case, the party would definitely consider legal options and also go to public to seek their opinion. We are clear that the Constitution is supreme which says that the general elections should be held within 90 days,” he said.

‘Politicising constitutional issues’

The key partners of the PPP in the recently-dissolved coalition government, however, don’t seem to agree with the party’s emerging strategy. On its strong position for the polls within 90 days, the PML-N has already asked the PPP to “refrain” from politicising constitutional issues while supporting the ECP stance for fresh delimitation before the next general elections.

The JUI-F, on the other hand, finds itself “unable to understand” the reasons behind the PPP’s fresh aggressive approach.

“We are unable to understand the PPP strategy,” said the JUI-F spokesman Aslam Ghauri.

“The PPP chief minister was there in the CCI when the census was approved. We also believe that the Constitution should prevail and we’re ready for the polls whenever they are held. But if the law says that the delimitation is crucial before the next polls, we think there’s no harm in it. Heavens would not fall if the polls were delayed for a month or two.”

Nawaz urged for timely polls

On the other hand, the PPP Punjab advised PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz not to favour a delay in polls as this would not be in their interests either.

“We request Mr Sharif and Ms Sharif to support the PPP’s demand to hold general elections in 90 days. They should not agree to the proposal to take the polls beyond 90 days,” PPP leader Faisal Mir told a presser in Lahore on Saturday.

Flanked by PPP Punjab information secretary Shahzad Cheema and Munawar Anjum, Mr Mir said if Nawaz and Maryam agreed to the delay then “both might not be able to contest elections yet Shehbaz Sharif and Ahsan Iqbal and others would remain eligible [to contest]”.

Mr Cheema said the PPP would use all legal options if the polls were delayed. “It will be a violation of the Constitution if the elections are delayed on any pretext,” he said and added in next week’s meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan, the PPP would make the same demand.

ECP consultation

Separately, the ECP has invited Jamaat-i-Islami and MQM leadership for separate meetings on Monday on the electoral roadmap for the upcoming general elections.

According to notices issued to MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and JI emir Sirajul Haq, the ECP invited the two leaders to discuss the electoral roadmap with their feedback on delimitation of constituencies, upgradation of electoral rolls, conduct of general elections, schedule of election, other related matters, Dawn.com reported.

Zulqernain Tahir in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2023