Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor to announce provincial assembly election date after consultations with party leaders and respect for supreme court order, amid criticism of delay and contempt of court claims by PTI spokesperson.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Haji Ghulam Ali has responded to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) request for a date for the provincial assembly elections, stating that he has not yet received the letter, but will definitely announce the date based on the Supreme Court’s directive.
The governor acknowledged that the letter had been sent to his principal secretary and that he would read it on Monday during an interview with a local news source in which he expressed his respect for the courts.
In light of the ruling by the supreme court, the Election Commission requested an early date for the K-P Assembly elections. The governor declared that they had respected the courts in the past and would do so going forward.
The governor expressed his disapproval of the president’s announcement that elections in Punjab would take place on April 30 and said he hoped for a unanimous date for the elections in both provinces.
He believed that a joint decision made by the president and the chief election commissioner following careful deliberation would have been preferable. He also emphasised how drastically different the circumstances were in the two provinces.
The governor’s office acknowledged receiving the letter from the Election Commission asking for a date for the provincial assembly election. The governor’s principal secretary, who was supposed to read the letter on Monday, was the one to whom it was addressed.
The governor would decide on a date for the election after consulting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of his party, and other PDM leaders. The governor would then announce the election date to the Election Commission on Monday.
Shaukat Yousafzai, a provincial spokesperson for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), charged the governor on Saturday with constitutional violations and contempt of court for failing to set an election date.
Yousafzai argued that the governor was looking for an explanation and that withholding a date was an act of contempt of court. He criticised the interim administration, asserting that it was now a PDM administration instead of an administration in transition. Additionally, he berated the administration for having an excessive number of cabinet members, advisers, and assistants.
Yousafzai also criticised PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, claiming that the PDM administration had forced her to stop speaking at conventions. He advised her to demand Ishaq Dar’s dismissal rather than placing blame on others and pointed out that she was powerless to defend her government.
It is unclear at this time when the Election Commission will be given the date for the K-P Assembly elections and what impact that will have on the participating political parties.
