Fida Hussnain Lahore
The different political parties unanimously rejected what they deemed an ‘unconstitutional’ resolution passed by the Senate, which called for a delay in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, citing concerns over the ‘security situation’ and extreme weather conditions in hilly areas.
The parties categorically dismissed the non-binding resolution, asserting that any further postponement of the electoral process would violate constitutional norms. Responding to a question about the said resolution, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who was quite busy in Lahore for his election campaign, said, “the elections will be held on time,”.
Bilawal Bhutto said, “Treating the elderly has become a very difficult task; securing employment has also become very challenging. I want to establish hospitals for free treatment, and I want to establish institutions for free education. We have many programs; Insha’Allah, the victory will be yours, the victory will be yours, the victory will be for the People’s Party,”. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also emphasized the party’s firm stance against delaying the elections, stating, “We didn’t support the resolution,”.
Addressing security concerns, she pointed out that the PPP had historically been a major target of terrorism, referencing the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She underlined that even after such tragic events, elections were held as scheduled. She reiterated the party’s commitment to free, fair, and timely polls, emphasizing that a Senate-passed resolution does not carry the weight of law.
Taking to X, Mian Javed Latif, the PML-N leader, said, “The desire to postpone the election by submitting a resolution through the back door will not be fulfilled, Muslim League-N strongly opposes it. We will not allow the election to be delayed even for a moment. We are standing in front of all kinds of conspiracies, thus presenting and passing a resolution through the back door is an insult to the upper house,”.
Similarly, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan expressed his disregard for the resolution, noting that the opinions of 14 Senators held no legal or binding influence in the constitutional process of conducting general elections. In a statement issued on social media, Barrister Gohar insisted on adhering to the scheduled election date and called on the Supreme Court to enforce its directives. He further urged the court to ensure a level playing field, including the allocation of an election symbol to PTI for transparent and legitimate elections.
