Political parties in Pakistan have begun their preparations for upcoming polls amid differences over timing of the process and number of constituencies as well as security concerns with rise of militants’ attacks on state targets..
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that the general elections in the country will take place in the last week of January next year.
Though the ECP has not given any specific date, a divide among the political parties is seen regarding the timing of the general elections.
The former ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have expressed their concern that the elections should not be delayed further and the ECP should announce a date for the polls.
The ECP has officially initiated the step forward towards the general elections by issuing its preliminary delimitation of constituencies based on the 2023 census.
There was a difference of opinion between the ECP and President of the House (parliament) over the delimitation of constituencies as the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi suggested the ECP conduct the elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly as per constitution of Pakistan.
However, the ECP decided otherwise and announced that general elections in the country will take place in the last week of January next year, a decision supported by several mainstream political parties as well.
Meanwhile, the international monitoring group, Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), has raised an issue of many constituencies exceeding the 10 percent population variation.
The ECP has invited the citizenry to share their objections regarding the new delimitations so that it can revise its decisions wherever justifiable.
As the elections are coming close, the political parties have geared up for the political campaigns while the leader of a religious political party Maulana Fazalur Rehman has expressed concerns over holding elections in southwestern Balochistan and northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces in the intense winter season.
While talking to media, Jamiat Ulema e Islam Fazal (JUI-F) chief said, it would be harsh to hold polls in many parts of KPK and Balochistan but his party would not demand any delay in the polls.
In an attempt to put the spirits of its voters high, the leader of a major political party and three times former prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has announced he would return to the country on 21st of this month.
Sharif, also leader of Pakistan Muslim League, has been living in Britain for the last four years in self-exile and is wanted by courts in cases against him. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is also facing jail time over cases against him and is disqualified by the ECP for upcoming elections.
The leader of another prominent political party in the southern Sindh province, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a press conference has demanded the ECP to announce a date for the elections in the country.
Another hurdle in the path of fair elections is the law and order situation in the country where militancy has been on the rise in KPK and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. Security forces have initiated several operations against the militants who are actively targeting security forces and government installations across the Afghan border and accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan for allowing these fighters to use its territory, an allegation Taliban deny.
Since the dissolution of the National Assembly in August, Pakistan has been ruled by a caretaker government led by Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, whose mandate is to ensure the holding of a transparent election.
Pakistan has faced political turmoil since then-Prime Minister Khan lost a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April last year.
The political crisis has given rise to economic hardships for the country where inflation and fuel prices have gone notably high creating hardships for the general public.
The political stakeholders in the country may disagree over the date of the upcoming elections but the country looks forward to free and fair elections in order to settle the political adversity.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
