President can't fix polls date: Alvi wants law ministry's opinion on ECP's claim

Caretaker law minister says they are yet to receive the letter

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - President Arif Alvi has sought the Ministry of Law and Justice’s advice on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) letter claiming that the head of the state was no longer empowered to fix the polls' date.

 

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 24, 2023

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the President House said Alvi had written a letter to the ministry’s secretary on the ECP’s response with regard to the letter he had sent for a meeting to decide the election date.

Also Read: Solangi for following ECP's timeline to hold election

On the other hand, Caretaker Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam said they were yet to receive the letter from the president. “We will respond in light of the applicable laws once we receive the letter,” Aslam told media.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sultan Sikandar Raja on Wednesday said a recent amendment to the Clause 57 of Election Act meant that giving election date was the sole prerogative of the ECP as he responded to the letter sent by President Arif Alvi.

According to the ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan] spokesperson, the CEC had sent a written response to the president, in which it mentioned that he [Raja] won’t meet him to discuss the election date.

The letter says the last National Assembly was dissolved under Article 58 (1) [just days before the completion of its tenure] on the advice of prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif]. Had the president dissolved the legislature after it completed the five-year term, he would have enjoyed the power to announce election date under Article 58 (2) which wasn’t the case, it added.

Moreover, the CEC also noted in the letter that the process to carry out delimitation had started on the basis of new census.

Also Read: ECP pledges free and fair polls in first meeting with PTI, JUI-F

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has underscored its commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for all political parties in the upcoming elections and stressed the timely conduct of the elections as well as the need to uphold transparency throughout the process. In the inaugural meeting focused on discussing the election roadmap, the commission, under the guidance of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, engaged in discussions with the delegates from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).