ISLAMABAD - They were initially planning to rush electoral reforms and go into the general elections, but now the ruling partners - the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz - are having second thoughts and considering to complete the remaining five-year term which goes through August 2023.
Sources told The Nation that the recent meetings between the PPP and the PML-N leadership have been to give up the option of early elections. “The PML-N always wanted the elections next year and now the PPP is also thinking the same way,” said a close aide of the PPP leadership.
He said both the major ruling partners are convinced that electoral reforms will take time and the nation should go into the elections when everything has been settled. Last day, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb almost announced the decision saying the elections will be held on time and those seeking resignation from the Chief Election Commissioner should have resigned themselves for sending the growth rate to negative. She said former PM Imran Khan was afraid of spirit of PM Shehbaz Sharif to serve diligently. This week, the Election Commission of Pakistan hinted at carrying out delimitations afresh in January next year, as those being conducted presently will become irrelevant in view of the seventh census beginning from August 1, 2022. The ECP’s statement came after ousted Imran Khan demanded early elections and vowed to remain on the streets till polls are held. CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired a meeting which was informed that the commission had received a letter dated April 18, from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, under which the Seventh Population and Housing Census would begin on Aug 1, and the results would be provided to Commission on December 31. “If so, the delimitation that the commission is currently conducting on the basis of 2017 census will be irrelevant and it will be bound by the constitution to start new delimitations from Jan 1, 2023, for which a period of at least four months is required,” the meeting noted. Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed however, predicted that the fresh elections will be held near Eidul Azha as he has received positive reports regarding the polls before May 31. “They called us selected. We are now telling them that you are selected and imported. They told us to hold elections. We answered them that the elections will be held. The present govt is not giving a specific time for polls,” he maintained. PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has just taken the oath as the Foreign Minister. There is no reason why he would get inducted in the cabinet if early elections were an option anymore, sources said.
“The Parliament must complete its term. We are seeing elections in late 2023. There is no hurry,” said a senior PPP leader.
