Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed has said that according to the constitution, President Dr Arif Alvi has the authority to declare the election's schedule, urging him to do so by tomorrow or step down.
Speaking to journalists in Lahore, Sheikh Rasheed said he had come to Lahore to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and that he would be ready to get arrested on February 22 while following Khan’s ‘jail bharo tehreek."
He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not gained respect by throwing the nation into turmoil. Polls would take place simultaneously in the provinces and the capital, he added.
He asserted that the political future of the nation would be decided by April 30 and that he wouldn't be held accountable for any significant mishaps prior to that date.
On Friday, President Arif Alvi invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to an urgent meeting on Monday (February 20) to discuss and decide a date for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab elections.
The meeting, which will be held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, will discuss Section 57(1) of the Elections Act, 2017, which is about the president’s prerogative to announce the election date after consulting the ECP.
On February 10, the Lahore High Court ordered the ECP to immediately announce the date for elections in Punjab.
In its much-anticipated verdict, the court ruled that the electoral authority was bound to carry out polling within 90 days of the assembly’s dissolution.
The plea, filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the issuance of the schedule, was admitted last month.
"The ECP is directed to immediately announce the date of the election of the provincial assembly of Punjab, with the notification specifying reasons, after consultation with the governor, being the constitutional head of the province, to ensure that polls are held not later than 90 days as per the mandate of the Constitution," read the decision.
Speaking to journalists in Lahore, Sheikh Rasheed said he had come to Lahore to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and that he would be ready to get arrested on February 22 while following Khan’s ‘jail bharo tehreek."
He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not gained respect by throwing the nation into turmoil. Polls would take place simultaneously in the provinces and the capital, he added.
He asserted that the political future of the nation would be decided by April 30 and that he wouldn't be held accountable for any significant mishaps prior to that date.
On Friday, President Arif Alvi invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to an urgent meeting on Monday (February 20) to discuss and decide a date for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab elections.
The meeting, which will be held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, will discuss Section 57(1) of the Elections Act, 2017, which is about the president’s prerogative to announce the election date after consulting the ECP.
On February 10, the Lahore High Court ordered the ECP to immediately announce the date for elections in Punjab.
In its much-anticipated verdict, the court ruled that the electoral authority was bound to carry out polling within 90 days of the assembly’s dissolution.
The plea, filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the issuance of the schedule, was admitted last month.
"The ECP is directed to immediately announce the date of the election of the provincial assembly of Punjab, with the notification specifying reasons, after consultation with the governor, being the constitutional head of the province, to ensure that polls are held not later than 90 days as per the mandate of the Constitution," read the decision.