President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi sent a letter to Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja asking him for a meeting either today or tomorrow to determine the date for the general elections.
In the letter, President Alvi wrote that within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, under the Article 48(5)of the constitution they would have to decide the date for the general elections.
In a letter posted on the Twitter account of the President’s House, President Alvi further mentioned that on the advice of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at that time the dissolution of the national assembly occurred on August 9, 2023, so the elections must be held till 9th November, this year.
However, the Election Commission took the plea that after the recent digital population census, the Election Commission will need to have new delimitation of constituencies, which might be completed till mid of December next.
The Election Commission has issued the notification for the schedule of delimitations, and in this regard, assistance has been sought from provincial governments and the statistics department.
Previously, the Secretary of the Election Commission, Omar Hamid Khan, had said while talking to the media that the commission would require a minimum of four months for the delimitation process.
In these circumstances, holding of elections within the constitutional time frame seems to be impossible as at least one-month time should be given to the political parties’ independent contestants for election campaigns..
In the past, the President asked the Chief Election Commissioner to hold elections in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the constitutional limit of 90 days, but at that time the Election Commission refused to comply with the orders of the head of the state to hold the elections. On which President had to move the Supreme Court, where the commission also showed its inability.
Former Federal Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah had stated in a private TV interview on August 15 that if new delimitations are carried out, the elections will likely take place in the third week of February or the first week of March next year.
Though the term of sitting President Dr. Arif Alvi would be finished on 8th September, this year but as per constitution, the President would remain in his office, till the election of next President, which cannot be held until and unless the electoral college of the would not be completed, which is comprised of National Assembly, Senate and all four provincial assemblies. It means that Presidential polls would be held after general elections.
It seems that this time a confrontation between two constitutional institutions that is Aiwan-i-Sadar and Election Commission would once again come to surface.
It also looks that once again the matter of holding elections within 90 days after dissolution of the national assembly would go to the apex court.
Here raises a question that if the Election Commission knew the fact that the elections would be held this year then why it was not prepared for the delimitation of constituencies under the new census well in time.