‘Polls to be held on time after delimitation process’

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Chairman Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Saturday affirmed that next general elections would be conducted on time immediately after the completion of delimitation process on the basis of new census.

Talking to media at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he said that PDM coalition government was consisted of almost all the political parties that had taken decisions in this regard. The previous coalition government in the Council of Common Interests, also granted approval to the census 2023 being cognizant of the constitutional requirement of delimitation of electoral constituencies on the basis of new census data, he recalled adding that now Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would carry out delimitation of constituencies on fresh census data.

As soon as delimitation exercise is completed, the ECP would announce the date for next general election, he maintained reiterating that next general election would take place and on the right time as the ECP would conduct the elections and the nation should remain contented.

The Upper House of the parliament is present as the representative of all the federating units of Pakistan and it will continue working to ensure the rights of all the four provinces of the country during the tenure of the caretaker government, Sanjrani stated. Senate is a constitutional body and it does not have executive authority but senators as representatives of the people were effectively raising their voice on the issues concerning the country and the nation while as chairman of the Upper House he was also playing his role, the Senate Chairman said.

Responding to a query on the election of the President, the Chairman Senate said that though the tenure of the incumbent president was being completed on September 09, 2023, the constitution provides for continuity of the outgoing president till the election of the new president. He added that following the general election in the country, the electoral college for the presidential election would come into being with the formation of National and provincial assemblies and the election for the next president would also be conducted subsequently as well.