KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has cast fresh doubts on the participation of individuals who were members of the caretaker set-up in the upcoming Senate polls, saying that the Constitution does not allow it.

However, the government maintains that the constitutional provision in question only applied to the general elections and not the Senate polls scheduled for April 2.

Those who have submitted nomination papers to contest the Senate elections included ex-caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar, former caretaker Punjab CM and incumbent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and ex-adviser to prime minister Ahad Cheema.

In a post on social media platform X, PTI-backed MNA Ali Mohammad Khan claimed that a minister, chief minister or prime minister of the interim caretaker set-up cannot contest elections which they supervised, Dawn.com reported. Mr Khan cited Article 224(1B) of the Constitution in support of his claim.

Ali Mohammad Khan says Article 224(1B) bars them from contesting polls; Tarar says provision only applies to first election after their tenure

According to Article 224(1B), “Members of the caretaker Cabinets including the caretaker Prime Minister and the care-taker Chief Minister and their immediate family members shall not be eligible to contest the immediately following elections to such Assemblies”.

“If they can’t even contest elections how can they even think of joining the cabinet of the incumbent government? Strange things are happening in Pakistan!” Mr Khan concluded.

Meanwhile, former PTI leader and ex-cabinet minister Shireen Mazari also termed the upcoming Senate polls an “electoral circus”, citing the candidature of Mr Kakar and Mr Naqvi.

In a post on X, she said, “So now we have Kakar and Mohsin Naqvi both being sneaked into Senate. For the parties putting up these two, clearly the Constitution is of no relevancy.

“There is also Aimal Wali changing his domicile to sneak into the Senate. Earlier, we saw caretaker minister [Sarfraz] Bugti resign and be cleared for elections,” she recalled.

However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar rejected the PTI leaders’ contentions.

When contacted, Mr Tarar told Dawn that Article 224(1B) did not apply to the caretakers contesting the upcoming Senate elections as the article bars them from becoming a member of the first assembly to be elected after the interim set-up.

He quoted the example of PTI leader Ali Zafar, saying he had been elected to the Senate soon after he served as caretaker law minister in 2018. “In fact, the PTI leader has wrongly interpreted Article 224 as his claim has no relevance with the said article,” the minister added.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024