PPP & PML-N hail ECP announcement of polls date

Political leaders say elections will ensure stability in the country, end uncertainty.

PPP & PML-N hail ECP announcement of polls date. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), two major political parties of the country, have welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announcement that elections in the country will take place on February 11, 2024.

In a major development on Thursday, the ECP’s lawyer informed the Supreme Court’s three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa that polls will take place in on February 11.

Following the ECP’s announcement, PPP’s Nayyer Bukhari has said that his party has been calling for holding timely elections.

“Unelected individual or cabinet do not have right to rule the country… the elections should have been held within 90 days as per the Constitution,” he said while speaking to Geo News.

Bukhari said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is answerable to the people and the Supreme Court for not holding elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies.

Responding to a question, the PPP leader said the caretaker government’s conduct will establish whether all political parties are given level-laying field.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the announcement saying that it’s a positive development that the process to hold elections has commenced.

However, he said fixing date polls is the mandate of the ECP.

PML-N leader Irfan Siddiqui told Geo News that the ECP announcement is a positive development as it will ensure stability in the country.

“I welcome this development even more because the announcement came from Supreme Court which has increased its sanctity,” he remarked.

He said it will be difficult for the ECP to backtrack on this date since the polls date was shared with the country’s top court.

“We believe that elections will take on time,” he added.

MQM-P‘s Amin Ul Haque said that welcomed the ECP’s announcement to hold elections on February 11.

However, he added that to take the country forward democratic tradition must continue and for that a free and fair elections must be held.

“MQM-P demands that the failure of RTS system in 2018 and release of elections results after 72 hours should be avoided in next elections and all parties should get a level playing field,” said Haque.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Zahid Khan said the ECP was not sincere in holding elections.

He questioned why the ECP did not fix January 28 as the election date and announce the election schedule.

The ANP leader said the ECP is using delaying tactics and urged the Supreme Court to seek the election schedule from the ECP.