ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator has promised to hold free and fair elections in the country and to provide “equal opportunities” to all political parties, amid concerns by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party that has been facing a crackdown by the authorities.
The statement by the Election Commission of Pakistan came a day after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party urged the regulator to ensure the release of its members and allow it to hold rallies in the country.
The PTI has been facing a crackdown since May, when Khan’s supporters attacked military and government installations in violent clashes following his brief arrest in a graft case. The ex-premier was again arrested this month after a Pakistani court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, and remains in high-security Attock prison.
On Friday, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja met with representatives of ex-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party, which led the last coalition government whose term ended earlier this month.
“The chief election commissioner assured the delegation that the elections will be transparent and impartial and equal opportunities will be given to all parties,” the ECP said in a statement.
“Strict legal action will be ensured for violation of the code of conduct and for this purpose, the monitoring wing has been further strengthened.”
As per the constitution, general elections in Pakistan must be held within 90 days of the National Assembly’s dissolution, meaning they would be due in November since parliament was dissolved on Aug. 9.
However, the outgoing Sharif government’s decision to approve the results of the 2023 digital census before it dissolved the assembly means the election regulator is now constitutionally bound to redraw hundreds of constituencies under the new population figures and set an election date after the process is completed.
The ECP has said it will be able to delimit federal and provincial constituencies by December 14, which puts off elections until at least February.
“Providing the census result to the election commission means that the constitution binds it to hold delimitation as per the latest notified census results,” PMLN’s Ahsan Iqbal told reporters after meeting ECP officials in Islamabad.
“This was a consensus decision [of the outgoing government]. The process [of redrawing of constituencies] should be completed as per the constitution to ensure elections are held as early as possible.”
Former law minister Azam Nazir Tarar, another senior PMLN leader, said the process of delimitation could be completed before December 14 and then as per the Elections Act, the ECP would give 54 days to political parties for campaigning.
Iqbal also said they had urged the regulator to ensure the registration of women voters and ensure their full participation in the electoral process. The party had also asked the ECP to start fresh voter registration and complete it simultaneously with the delimitation of constituencies by December 14, he added.
