ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday came down hard on Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not holding its meeting to discuss the elections of Punjab provincial assembly despite being directed by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

In a statement on twitter, he alleged that there is a general impression that “since the ECP is made up of Munshis, it will not hold provincial elections as it did in Islamabad”.

He warned the ECP “not to make mockery of the constitution and court orders”, saying that such “fiddling with the constitution” will cost the country dearly.

“The constitution is our only agreed document,” he said, adding that if the constitution is trampled, Pakistan will be in “serious danger”.

“Enough is enough, our movement for the supremacy of the constitution is ready. This movement will start with Jail Bharo (movement) and continue until the constitution is restored,” he said.

On Friday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had ordered the ECP to immediately announce the date of elections to the Punjab Assembly after consultation with the governor, in his capacity as the constitutional head of the province, to ensure that polls were held not later than 90 days as per the mandate of the constitution.

Meanwhile, the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja summoned a high-level meeting on February 13 (today) at the commission’s secretariat to deliberate over and finalise the schedule of the Punjab Assembly elections in light of the LHC’s orders.

The meeting will review the decision of the LHC and will decide its future course of action and the implementation of the verdict for holding the general election to the provincial assembly.

The poll supervisory body has been facing louder calls to announce the date for elections, chiefly from the PTI and, more recently, from President Dr Arif Alvi who has urged the commission to immediately issue the election schedule for Punjab and K-P provincial assemblies.

In a letter addressed to CEC Raja, President Alvi had said that the election of an assembly is to be held within 90 days of the dissolution as provided by Article 224 (2) of the constitution.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023