ISLAMABAD: As mystery shrouds the fate of elections to two provincial assemblies with the tenure of the National, Sindh, and Balochistan assemblies set to expire in less than 10 weeks, the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) urged the authorities to conduct general elections by Oct this year.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the think tank, working for the “promotion of democracy” in the country, said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must be fully prepared to hold general elections by October in a transparent manner since it was the constitutional obligation of the commission. The National Assembly will complete its five-year term on August 12, 2023.

“Only a free and fair and timely election can bring back desperately-needed political stability in Pakistan keeping in view recent political turmoil and mounting economic troubles facing Pakistan,” it observed. It said Pakistan needed a government that has the mandate to take difficult decisions to fix the economy after the election.

General elections for the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies must be conducted within 60 days as laid down in the Constitution, which suggested the latest conceivable date for polls as October 12.

Says transparent polls panacea for political and economic turmoil

“However, if the National Assembly is dissolved even one day before the completion of its term, the election must be held within 90 days which would make November 11,” the final deadline for holding general elections.

Amid rumours about the imposition of emergency, Pildat advised that under no circumstances the date of the elections should be extended beyond this time if “such a situation arises”.

No role of army in politics

Reiterating that the armed forces of Pakistan can and should have no role in the political process, Pildat has also highlighted that their “respect and integrity as a constitutional entity must be upheld by all citizens.

According to the statement, “... Pildat fully supports bringing to justice all perpetrators of instances instigated and carried out against the personnel and installations of the armed forces of Pakistan and other public and private properties on May 09.”

It added that Pildat “supports a free and impartial investigation” but advised against the use of military courts to prosecute civilians. It also condemned the manner of arrest of the chairman PTI on May 9 and underscored the need for “equal application of the rule of law against those responsible for unlawful use of force within the IHC premises while executing the arrest warrant which the Supreme Court has declared as ‘invalid and unlawful’.”

It urged the government and the PTI to “urgently re-start the political dialogue to find a consensus-based date” for elections on the same day. It said accountability of individuals who were accused of attacks on military properties “should not impede the political and electoral process in any way”.

It reminded although the emergency provisions of the Constitution allowed the extension in the term of the National Assembly by up to one year, such an extension was not possible for the term of provincial assemblies.

Any attempt to defer the National Assembly election under emergency provisions will stagger the schedule of national and provincial assembly elections which may create a similar situation that led to the postponement of the election of provincial assemblies in Punjab and KP beyond the constitutional limit of 90 days.

Pildat urged the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to complete the findings of the census and that the “Council of Common Interests (CCI) approve the findings in time so that ECP is able to complete the delimitation of constituencies” before the elections in October.

Pildat also emphasised that the postponement of the General Election beyond October-November 2023 was “fraught with serious threats to the national polity, economy and integrity”.

Pildat lauded the Supreme Court for its support for political consensus regarding elections as well as its continued stance supporting the resolution of the political impasse on holding free and fair general elections in Pakistan on the same day.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2023