Pakistani electoral body's move to hold elections in January draws mixed reactions

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - An announcement by Pakistan's top electoral authority to hold general elections in January next year has drawn mixed reactions from the country's mainstream political parties, with one key party opposing the idea.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said Thursday that polls will take place in the last week of January to elect a new government for a five-year term, dismissing speculation that the ongoing caretaker setup would continue for a longer period.

Currently, a caretaker government led by acting Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is ruling the country following the dissolution of the lower house, known as the National Assembly, on Aug. 9.

President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, clearing the way for a national vote within 90 days as required by the Constitution.

However, the Council of Common Interests, a constitutional body made up of the prime minister and the chief ministers of all provinces, last month approved the controversial results of a new nationwide census, making it almost certain that elections will not be held within the Constitutional period.

Because of the hurried approval, the ECP would need at least four more months to notify new constituencies in the country in accordance with the latest census.

"We welcome the announcement," said Senator Nehal Hashmi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking to Anadolu, Hashmi said the PML-N is fully prepared to contest the polls.

The center-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also welcomed the much-awaited declaration but demanded the immediate announcement of the election schedule.

"We are pleased with this announcement, as it has dismissed speculation and uncertainty in the country," said Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, a senior PPP leader.

PPP Information Secretary Shazia Marri, who is also a former federal minister, told Anadolu that the ECP's indication to hold elections in January is the "right direction," but the commission should announce a specific date for the polls.

The party is evaluating the situation and will give a detailed reaction soon, she added.

The country's two mainstream religiopolitical parties, Jama'at-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema Islam, have also welcomed the announcement.

"Although the elections should have been held within the Constitutional period of 90 days, we still welcome the announcement," Qaiser Sharif, a JI spokesman, told Anadolu.

- 'Elections must be held in November'

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan has meanwhile rejected the ECP's announcement, terming it "extra-constitutional."

"We reject the announcement, as the ECP is bound under the Constitution to hold the elections within 90 days after the dissolution of the assembly," Shoiab Shaheen, a central PTI leader, told Anadolu.

The polls, he said, must be held no later than November this year.

According to Shaheen, only the president has the authority to announce the election date.

The outgoing government, through an amendment in the election rules in June, empowered the ECP to independently announce the poll date.

The party said it will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

President Alvi earlier this month proposed Nov. 6 as the election date, though the ECP claims he has no authority to do so.

- 'Can jailed Imran Khan contest elections?'

Legal experts appear to be divided over Khan's eligibility to contest the elections following his disqualification by the ECP from holding public office for five years after his conviction in a corruption case last month.

Khan, 70, was sentenced to three years in jail by an Islamabad court in August for allegedly concealing details and unlawfully selling state gifts he received during his stint as prime minister from 2018-2022. Consequently, he was barred from holding public office for five years by the election commission.

However, the Islamabad High Court on Aug. 29 suspended his sentence, ordering his release on bail.

But the former premier, who was ousted through a no-trust vote in April 2022 and has been facing a string of cases, is still behind bars in a case that accuses him of exposing state secrets.

Asad Manzoor Butt, a former secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said the cricketer-turned-politician is not eligible to contest the upcoming elections as his "conviction still exists."

"The Islamabad High Court has suspended his sentence (and) not conviction, which is very much there. Thus, he stands disqualified from holding any public office," he told Anadolu.

According to Butt, the former premier has to challenge his disqualification by the ECP separately.

"Until unless the appellate court sets aside his disqualification, he cannot contest any elections," he maintained.

But Shaheen, who is also a former president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, reckons that Khan is "very much eligible" to contest the elections.

"His sentence stands suspended, which means he is no longer a convict but an accused," he said.

Shaheen went on to argue that the ECP’s decision to disqualify the former premier was based on his sentence in the graft case. Therefore, after suspension of the sentence, the disqualification automatically stands suspended, he said.