JI Emir declares ECP move as un-constitutional

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq has declared the ECP move to postpone the Punjab polls as unconstitutional. The Election Commission of Pakistan, he said while talking to media here on Friday, had no authority to suspend the elections after holding consultations with some institutions.

He said the Supreme Court suo motu on the issue has also created ambiguity as the date fixed for the Punjab elections was beyond the 90-days limit set in the constitutions.

He asked the ECP to hold the consultations with the political parties to develop consensus on the national polls. He said the people must be given a chance to elect their representatives in a free and fair manner. The JI chief said the fight between the PDM and the PTI took the country to the closed alley and if the clash continued, its consequences could be dangerous.

The fight among the ruling parties, he said, could derail the already fragile democracy. Sanity must prevail and the political leadership should at least agree on a minimum agenda. Haq said the unity government of the PDM and the PPP failed to provide relief to the masses, continuing the policies of the PTI. He said the current government performance of 11 months was almost zero. He said the IMF dictates the government on every matter of national importance and global lenders had virtually taken control of the key affairs.

He said the government could not even provide any relief to the masses in the holy month of Ramzan. He said the people were dying in the queues for flour and the prices of basic commodities touched skies. He said the load shedding of gas and electricity continued in parts of the country even during sehar and iftar time. He said the elections were the only way forward to pull the country out of prevailing crises.