• Senator Dilawar insists resolution for election delay ‘aptly reflects collective aspirations’ of upper house
• Watchdog says directives for ‘effective security’ issued, winter elections also held in past

ISLAMABAD: As resolutions seeking a delay in the polls continue to land in the Senate, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made it clear that general elections scheduled for February 8 cannot be put off “at this stage”.

In response to a letter received from the Senate Secretariat along with a copy of a resolution seeking a delay in the elections passed by the house without a quorum, the ECP said that the resolution was discussed during a meeting of the commission.

According to the ECP, the election date was decided in consultation with President Dr Arif Alvi. It said that in order to maintain law and order, the commission had issued directives to the caretaker federal and provincial governments for beefing up security and providing a congenial environment.

The commission said that it had made all the nec­essary arrangements regarding the conduct of general elections, adding that it had also submitted a commitment to the Supreme Court in this regard.

“Likewise, it would not be out of place to mention here that in the past general elections and local government elections have been held in the winter season,” it added.

The ECP’s letter concluded that it would not be “advisable” for the commission to postpone general elections “at this stage”.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said: “The ECP is committed to holding polls on Thursday, Feb 8 and so are the [caretaker] federal and provincial governments”. He also attached a copy of the ECP’s letter to the Senate Secretariat.

On January 5, a thinly-attended session of the upper house of parliament adopted a resolution, seeking the postponement of the general elections over security and inclement weather concerns, when only 14 members were present in the upper house.

Eleven members voted for the resolution after Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani not only allowed independent Senator Dilawar Khan to move it even though it was not on the agenda.

A copy of the resolution was sent to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Election Commission of Pakistan by Mr Sanj­rani, shortly after he abr­uptly prorogued the house.

Dilawar double downs

On the other hand, the mover of the resolution, Dilawar Khan, wrote a letter to Chairman Sanjrani on Monday, saying it was “disconcerting” that no “tangible steps” had been taken by the ECP to postpone the elections.

According to Dilawar Khan, the resolution passed by the Senate on January 5 “aptly reflected the collective aspirations of the house”.

“However, despite the Senate’s explicit urging and the subsequent dispa­tch of a copy of the resolution to the ECP, it is disconcerting that no tangible steps have been taken by the ECP to postpone the general elections scheduled for February 8,” he said.

Senator Dilawar said that as the mover of the resolution, he “firmly believed” that the concerns articulated in the motion must be promptly addressed.

“The essence of holding free and fair elections appears compromised without a resolution to the issues raised. In light of this, I humbly request your intervention as the custodian of the house,” he said in the letter.

“It is imperative that we ascertain the progress made and ensure the postponement of the general elections scheduled for February 8, thereby facilitating the effective participation of people from all areas of Pakistan and across the entire political spectrum in the electioneering process,” he added.

“Your swift attention to this matter is highly appreciated, and I eagerly anticipate an update on the steps taken in this regard,” he concluded in the letter to Mr Sanjrani.

Last week, senators belonging to the PTI, PPP and Jamaat-i-Islami also requisitioned a session to discuss the timely conduct of free and fair polls.

Two more resolutions seeking to delay the polls have also been submitted to the Senate secretariat over the past few days. The resolutions were submitted by independent senators Hidayatullah and Hilalur Rahman.

Polls at all costs

Meanwhile, former lawmaker and National Democratic Move­ment (NDM) chief Mohsin Dawar said elections should be held in any situation.

“It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the security of every candidate and political worker,” said Mr Dawar.

“But delaying elections by saying that the security situation isn’t good […] who will give the guarantee that the security situation would be fine after a month?” he questioned while appearing on a podcast.

To a question regarding election campaigns in such circumstances, he said campaigning would continue and a new strategy would be adopted for the same. “The protection of our workers is our priority,” he stressed.

It may be recalled that Dawar recently encountered and survived an armed attack on his convoy in the Tapi area of North Waziristan’s Miramshah tehsil. The attack on his convoy occurred during an election rally.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2024