President's letter to ECP creates tumult, says Sheikh Rashid
Pakistan
Says Commission’s meetings with political parties after delimitation schedule meaningless
RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - Awami Muslim League chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday President Arif Alvi had created a political storm by writing a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
In his statement on social networking website X (formerly Twitter), Rashid said the act and the constitution had been pitted against each other. The ECP had announced schedule of delimitations and stated that elections could not be held in 90 days.
He said meeting politicians or political parties after this decision of the ECP was meaningless, however, the Constitution would emerge victorious and it would be enforced in the country. The court rulings would decide how the issues facing the country would be settled, stated the senior politician.
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) August 24, 2023
The AML head said the president created a political storm by writing a letter to the Election Commission.
He predicted that 20 days were very important in country's politics. The former federal minister said first the president created a stir by issuing a tweet and then he created a storm by writing a letter to the Election Commission.
Rashid said the ECP would not pay heed to president’s call for consultations. The commission would not comply with president’s advice. He said if the president issued a date for general elections, a new Pandora's box would be opened.
He said people did not consider it important that elections would be held in 90 days, four months or not at all but definitely the issue of spike in power tariff was of paramount importance to them.
The AML head said it was a fact that people were unable to pay their electricity bills after sky-high prices of flour, sugar and petrol. He said dollar had completed its triple century.
The political and economic condition of the country was deteriorating with the passage of time, he said. Politics was a secondary issue to the people. They were now fighting a war for their survival. “May Allah have mercy upon us and our country,” he prayed.
