Independent Senator Dilawar Khan on Monday wrote a letter to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, saying that it was “disconcerting” that no “tangible steps” had been taken by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for delaying the February 8 general elections despite the passage of a resolution by the upper House of Parliament.

On January 5, a thinly-attended session of the upper house of parliament had become the talk of the town after it adopted a resolution, albeit a non-binding one, seeking the postponement of the general elections over security and bad weather concerns.

The widely panned resolution, which was not initially scheduled for discussion, was introduced by independent Senator Dilawar and received support primarily from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) senators. However, it also appeared to have the tacit support of some other parties, and the absence of lawmakers from mainstream political parties raised several questions.

PPP Senator Bahramand Tangi not only kept silent at the time of the vote, but also delivered a speech stressing the need for peace before polls. He was later issued a show-cause notice by his party for deviating from its policy.

The passage of the resolution was subsequently condemned by politicians and lawyers, who termed it a “conspiracy against democracy” and asserted that polls be held on time.

Subsequently, a resolution was submitted in the Senate by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, emphasising the need to adhere to “constitutional requirements” and ensure the timely conduct of the polls. Last week, senators belonging to the PTI, PPP and Jamaat-i-Islami also requisitioned a session to discuss the timely conduct of free and fair polls.

In the letter today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Dilawar said that the resolution passed by the Senate on January 5 “aptly reflected the collective aspirations of the House”.

“However, despite the Senate’s explicit urging and the subsequent dispatch of a copy of the resolution to the ECP, it is disconcerting that no tangible steps have been taken by the ECP to postpone the general elections scheduled for February 8,” he said.

Dilawar said that as the mover of the resolution, he “firmly believed” that the concerns articulated in the motion must be promptly addressed.

“The essence of holding free and fair elections appears compromised without a resolution to the issues raised. In light of this, I humbly request your intervention as the custodian of the House,” he said as he sought the status of the recommendations outlined in the resolution.

“It is imperative that we ascertain the progress made and ensure the postponement of the general elections scheduled for February 8, thereby facilitating the effective participation of people from all areas of Pakistan and across the entire political spectrum in the electioneering process,” Dilawar said.

“Your swift attention to this matter is highly appreciated, and I eagerly anticipate an update on the steps taken in this regard,” he concluded in the letter to Sanjrani.

ECP says no to delaying polls

Separately, the ECP wrote a letter to the Senate Secretariat in connection with the resolution seeking a delay in the general elections, saying that it was “not advisable” for the electoral watchdog to delay polls “at this stage”.

The letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was dated January 13 and said that the passage of the resolution was discussed during a meeting of the commission.

In the letter, the ECP said that the election date was decided in consultation with the President Arif Alvi. It further said that in order to maintain law and order, the commission had issued directives to the caretaker federal and provincial governments for beefing up security and for providing a “congenial” environment.

The commission said that it had made all the necessary arrangements regarding the conduct of general elections, adding that it had also submitted a commitment to the Supreme Court in this regard.

“Likewise, It would not be out of place to mention here that in the past general elections and local government elections have been held in winter season,” it added.

The letter concluded that it would not be “advisable” for the commission to postpone general elections “at this stage”.

Information Minister Murtaza Solangi also shared a copy of the letter on X and said the ECP was “committed” to holding polls on Feb 8 as well as the federal and provincial governments.

Security situation no excuse to delay elections, says Mohsin Dawar

Meanwhile, in a podcast today, former lawmaker and chairman of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) Mohsin Dawar said elections should be held in any situation.

“It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the security of every candidate and political worker,” he stated. “But delaying elections by saying that the security situation isn’t good […] who will give the guarantee that the security situation would be fine after a month?” Dawar asked.

On a question regarding election campaigns in such circumstances, he said campaigning would continue and a new strategy would be adopted for the same.

“The protection of our workers is our priority,” Dawar stressed.

It must be noted that Dawar recently encountered and survived an armed attack on his convoy in the Tapi area of North Waziristan’s Miramshah tehsil. The attack on his convoy occurred during an election rally. The assailants opened fire and subsequently fled.

Resolutions on polls delay

In addition to the motion passed by the Senate, two more resolutions have been submitted to the Senate Secretariat seeking a delay in polls.

On Friday, independent Senator Hidayatullah submitted a second resolution seeking delay in polls. The resolution referred to the surge in acts of terrorism and violence in the country with particular reference to armed attacks in North Waziristan, Bajaur and Turbat, causing severe injuries to a veteran nationalist politician running for national and provincial assembly seats, and killing of another candidate. The resolution said that these incidents had perturbed the country and created an environment of insecurity.

The resolution urged the ECP and the Supreme Court to sympathetically consider the conduct of peaceful elections and postpone the polls for three months in view of the security challenges.

During this time, the resolution said, the government should create an environment guaranteeing a level playing field for all political parties and candidates.

Meanwhile on Sunday, a third resolution landed in the Senate Secretariat in an attempt to press the relevant authorities to delay the general elections.

An independent senator, Hilalur Reh­m­an, hailing from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), submitted the resolution seeking delay in the polls due to harsh weather and deteriorating security situation, increasing terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country.

The resolution said candidates in KP were under severe threat of terrorist attacks, which created a wave of fear and deprivation among people. The scheduled date of elections in KP proved unsuitable and therefore the elections should be conducted on an appropriate date and not on Feb 8, it added.

It added that due to the increasing “sense of deprivation” and the fear of citizens in KP about being left out of the election process, the date announced for the general election was proving to be “unsuitable” for the province.

It urged the ECP to delay polls to a date which was acceptable for all the relevant stakeholders and that would also help in removing hurdles in the way of free and fair elections.