ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: As opposition parties near a consensus on the caretaker set-up, the Election Commission and the government discussed on Tuesday the constitutional position about setting a date for the general election and steps required for holding free, fair and credible polls.
An official of the election commission told Dawn after a meeting between Law Minister Farooq H. Naek and Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim that holding polls for national and provincial assemblies on the same day was not discussed at the meeting. “The meeting had one-point agenda of legal position about setting an election date,” he said.
The official quoted the chief election commissioner as telling the minister that the commission was ready to hold elections any time.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the law minister rejected what he described as baseless propaganda that polls would not be held and the current set-up would seek an extension, adding that elections would be held on time and in accordance with the Constitution and law.But, he said a date for the polls had not been decided yet, adding that it was the discretionary powers of the President to determine the election date.
He said assemblies would be completing their five-year constitutional term on March 16. Under Article 224 of the Constitution, elections are to be held within two months after that unless the assemblies are dissolved earlier. If assemblies are dissolved before the expiry of their term, elections are to be held within three months after that.
The 20th Constitution Amendment provides for the appointment of a caretaker prime minister by the president in consultations with the prime minister and the leader of opposition in the outgoing assemblies. In case the outgoing prime minister and the leader of opposition not agreeing on a person to be appointed the caretaker prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, they will forward two names each to a parliamentary committee to be immediately constituted by the National Assembly speaker. The committee will need to decide on a name within three days.
If the committee is also unable to decide, these names will be referred to the Election Commission which will make a final decision within the next two days.
Dual nationality: Meanwhile, the Election Commission has further simplified the procedure for submitting declarations about dual nationality by lawmakers. According to a statement released by the commission, they can now get their declarations attested by an officer of the Election Commission in Islamabad and provincial headquarters, in addition to an Oath Commissioner.—Iftikhar A. Khan