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ISLAMABAD: The federal capital is abuzz with rumours that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government is in no mood to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) within the stipulated three months after dissolution of the assemblies on the pretext of declaring a financial crisis.

While talking to media on Sunday, PDM spokesman Hafiz Hamdullah had warned that the next general elections may be postponed if the country’s economy fails to recover. He accused PTI of leaving the country in an economic mess by allegedly pursuing a “foreign agenda”.

The PDM spokesman said that currently the country is passing through a critical financial crisis, adding that the coalition government is making efforts to explore all possible options to get some relief for the masses hit by a crisis engineered by the previous government.

However, Fawad Chaudhary, senior vice president of PTI, responding to rumours of a possible delay in Punjab elections, lamented that the failure of the Governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to announce an election date for the two provincial assemblies is a violation of Article 105, which in its clause 3, states:

“Where the Governor dissolves the Provincial Assembly, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1), he shall,- (a) appoint a date, not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution, for the holding of a general election to the Assembly; and (b) appoint a caretaker Cabinet.”

“Escaping from elections is an obvious display of unpopularity of this government, despite appointment of its own people as the caretakers,” Fawad further maintained.

Some political analysts citing the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister Punjab, whom PTI chairman Imran Khan had accused of being Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari’s front man, as a prelude to election postponement.

“Imran Khan is upset because the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi was made as per the law and Constitution and not through ‘witchcraft’, the way he (Imran Khan) had been making appointments like Usman Buzdar…Now, there will be an election and not a selection,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister for information and PML-N spokesperson.

The rumour that elections to the two provincial assemblies may be postponed is inconsistent with reports that Maryam Nawaz, the recently elevated senior vice president of PML-N and chief organizer is returning to the country on Saturday to lead the election campaign in Punjab and may be a candidate for the position of chief minister Punjab.

A senior political analyst stated that there are obvious divisions within PML-N’s ranks and issuing a notification elevating Maryam Nawaz to the position of senior vice president will require acceptance by senior party cadre, as well as, grassroots supporters. Additionally, the other PDM partners and the PPP, have ambitions that are at odds with those of the PML-N senior leadership.

The PPP is clearly relying on strategy to win the next elections and is not basing its campaign on a personality to lead the party to victory, background discussions reveal.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

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