ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday wrote back to President Arif Alvi, accusing him of harboring a “partisan attitude” toward the coalition government and espousing “one-sided, anti-government views” as political tensions in the South Asian country continue to rise.

Sharif’s letter was in response to Alvi, who had written to the prime minister on Friday to express concern over recent political developments in the country. In his letter, Alvi mentioned the “glaring violation” of the fundamental rights of opposition activists and media personnel to stifle dissenting voices in Pakistan.

The president, a close ally of former prime minister Imran Khan, also mentioned the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone the Punjab polls from April 30 to October 8 in a recent proclamation while describing it as a “flagrant violation of the Constitution ... by the executive authorities and government departments.”

The correspondence between the president and the prime minister takes place at a time when political tensions are high in the country. Khan alleges his party supporters and aides are being subjected to police brutality, arrests and harassment by the coalition government and Pakistan’s powerful military. The government denies this, and accuses Khan of inciting his supporters to attack law enforcers.

In his response to Alvi, Sharif expressed disappointment at “the blatantly partisan nature” of the president’s letter, adding that it reads like a press release by Khan’s political party. He questioned why the president had not taken notice of the “severe” human rights violations that took place under the previous government spearheaded by Khan.

Sharif pointed out that the constitution does not grant any powers to the president to seek an explanation from the prime minister. “The only reason I am responding to your letter as because I want to bring your partisan attitude and actions on record and to set the record of our Government straight,” he wrote.

Responding to Alvi’s concerns about the ECP’s decision to postpone provincial polls in Punjab to Oct.8, Sharif said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies were dissolved to “blackmail” the federal government and two provinces to dissolve assemblies and declare elections.

“You have not taken note of the effect of conducting elections to these two provinces prior to the general elections to the National Assembly in as much as, organizing and conducting free and fair elections under clause (3) of Article 218 may not be possible with elected provincial governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the prime minister wrote.

“This constitutional distortion has completely escaped your attention, which is quite saddening, given the role of the head of the state that the Constitution assigns to the President,” Sharif added.

The prime minister responded to Alvi’s allegation that he had not held meaningful consultations with the president, saying that the constitution allows the president to act on the advice of the prime minister or the federal cabinet.

“In very limited instances, the President acts in his discretion under the Constitution,” Sharif wrote. “Article 46 and Rule 15(5)(6) supra are what they ordain. That is, keep the President informed. Nothing more and nothing less.”