Pakistan's major political parties demand election be held on Feb 8 itself after Senate resolution seeks delay

Islamabad: All major political parties in Pakistan, shocked by a controversial resolution passed by the Senate to delay the general elections scheduled for February 8, have displayed rare unity in demanding no change in the schedule of the polls.

The united stand from political parties from across the political spectrum followed a non-binding resolution passed by the upper house on Friday when only about 14 senators out of over 100 members were attending the session.

The move resulted in an outcry that the national and provincial elections to be held on February 8 should not be delayed.

The resolution, tabled by independent Senator Dilawar Khan, cited harsh cold weather and security concerns in many areas across the country which he said could result in less participation in elections.

Raising concerns about the security situation, he said the law and order situation was not good and added that politicians were being targeted.

The Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday that demanding that the Supreme Court (SC) take immediate notice of the resolution passed by the Senate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Barrister Gohar Khan said: “A resolution of 14 senators based on their personal opinions, has no legal or binding force in the constitutional process of holding general elections.” He saw the “attempt by some political parties to defer the much-needed polls beyond the scheduled date of February 8 by using the floor of Senate [as] tantamount to [an] attack on Constitution and democracy”.

According to a statement issued by the central media department of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party, Gohar Khan insisted that the passage of the resolution was a violation of the order of SC and amounted to contempt of court.

He called on the top court to take effective and remedial measures to foil attempts to delay or affect the transparency and fairness of elections.

He also called on the apex court to “enforce its orders and observations regarding February 8 elections in the country”, adding that his party was “fully prepared” for general elections.

He also said that those scared of the elections had violated the sanctity of the upper house of parliament by passing an unconstitutional resolution.

The Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) seemed to be in a Catch-22 situation after the passage of the Senate resolution, since it was not opposed by the sole party Senator, Behramand Tangi, in the House at the time of voting, leading the party to distance itself from his stance and vowing to seek explanation from him.

Thereafter, at a press conference, PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman made it clear that the party wanted timely elections and it had “special directives” from Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to clear the air after the passage of the resolution.

“Senator Tangi has informed the party that he had opposed the resolution,” she said.

“But still, we would look into things like video clips and other evidence to assess the factual situation. If his stance is not found to be satisfactory, then definitely we would seek an explanation from him.” The PPP leader also tried to downplay the impact of the resolution, saying that it did not carry any weight as the house failed the meet the quorum requirements for such a move.

"First we need to understand that the resolution isn’t a law,” Senator Rehman said, adding that on Fridays, sessions of the Senate only last for a brief period due to prayer breaks.

“The majority of senators had already left for their homes,” she explained. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), too, categorically declared that it wants no delay in the February 8 polls, saying that it was making preparations for the elections.

“The PML-N’s decision is categorical — polls should be held on February 8 according to the schedule of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),” party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

مسلم لیگ(ن) کا دوٹوک فیصلہ ہے کہ 8 فروری 2024 کو عام انتخابات ہوں۔ الیکشن کمیشن آف پاکستان کے جاری کردہ شیڈول کے مطابق انتخابات کی بھرپور تیاریاں جاری ہیں۔ عوام 8 فروری کو اپنی رائے کا حق استعمال کرتے ہوئے پاکستان کی ترقی، امن اور خوشحالی کے حق میں فیصلہ کرے گی۔ اچھے دنوں کے آغاز…

— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) January 5, 2024

The Jamaat-e-Islami emir, Sirajul Haq, said people could not be deprived of their fundamental right to elect their representatives via transparent elections. He said the resolution was “a conspiracy against the country and democracy”.

“Postponing elections due to unrest in Balochistan and Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa will be tanta­mo­unt to surrendering arms to those spreading unrest,” he added.

Meanwhile, caretaker Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi, who was present in the Senate when the resolution was passed, said he did not get a chance to present his arguments over the resolution.

However, he made it clear that there were no directives from the prime minister or the federal cabinet regarding a delay.

According to Article 218(3) of the Constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan is empowered to conduct elections, give a date or change the date for elections, he said, adding, “We cannot interfere in the affairs of a constitutional body,” Solangi said.