ISLAMABAD: A day before the presidential poll, scheduled today (Saturday), Mehmood Khan Achakzai, one of the two election candidates, wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Friday that holding this election without completion of electoral college would be “illegal, unlawful and against the spirit of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan”. He demanded that the poll be postponed till the completion of Electoral College.
In his letter to CEC, Achakzai, the candidate of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) for the presidential poll, stated that the Electoral College prescribed by law and Constitution for the election of the President of Pakistan, was still incomplete, as there were some reserved seats in the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, which were still vacant.
“As yet, no one was elected on those reserved seats and without nominations and proper election on these seats, if the presidential election is conducted as per the schedule, that would be denial of their votes, which otherwise, is against the fundamental rights, law and Constitution,” Achakzai contended in the letter.
The completion of this Electoral College under the Constitution and law is not possible unless these members would be elected accordingly to fill in vacant seats, he said.
“As matter of fact, a petition has also been filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council before honourable Peshawar High Court, on account of reserved seats issue, and an injunctive order was passed by the honourable Court, and petitioner is hopeful for a clear verdict in favour of Sunni Ittehad Council, however, the completion of electoral college for the presidential election in near future would not be in sight and this infirmity would make the whole election illegal and unlawful,” Achakzai, the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) chief, stated in the letter.
“Under the above circumstances, it was submitted that the proposed election to the office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is clearly impossible; therefore, the same may kindly be postponed or delayed till completion of electoral college accordingly, in the best interest of justice, fair play and equity,” Achakzai demanded of the CEC, the Returning Officer of the presidential poll. Achakzai and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari are the two candidates in run for the presidency in today’s election.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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