PPP won’t’sit around and wait’ for the polling schedule.
Bilawal calls on citizens to hold political parties responsible for supporting the postponement of elections Farhatullah Babar rejects suggestions of postponing elections due to unfavourable “vibes,” insisting that true Democrats must be prepared to face voters Ex-PM Gilani expects that election watchdog will create a level playing field for everyone.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party condemned its erstwhile allies on Monday for ostensibly supporting a delay in general elections and vowed that the party would not stop until the Election Commission of Pakistan established a date for those elections.
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took issue with a recent statement made by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who questioned the possibility of elections in the winter season. This comes after the PML-N has been publicly criticised numerous times over the past few weeks for allegedly accepting a delay in general elections beyond three months.
Former foreign minister Bhutto-Zardari, who spoke to representatives of local bodies at Bilawal House in Karachi, claimed that only the PPP was constant in its call for fair elections.
The PML-N contends that a new delineation is essential for the next elections, while the JUI-F casts doubt on the viability of holding elections in January and February due to the severe winter. All those who are evading elections should now be known to and identified by the people of Pakistan, he urged.
“Let me be quite clear, we won’t just stand about. The PPP head vowed to continue advocating for prompt elections and urged people to hold political parties that were attempting to obstruct elections accountable.
ECP ban
The PPP chairperson also aired his grievances against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying that the ban imposed on development schemes in Sindh was “discriminatory” in nature.
He said the PPP would approach the commission for the reversal of the ban. In case, the ban remained, the party would use legal options, he said, adding if that failed, the PPP would take to the streets as a last resort.
“You should talk to the caretaker Sindh CM and chief election commissioner [to demand removal of the ban] and let me know about your feedback,” he said.
“If this doesn’t work, then the option of courts is open. Even if this legal option doesn’t work, we know the politics of the streets. We know how to get our rights.”
Although the ECP has repeatedly said that there is no ban on development projects, a PPP leader told Dawn that in August 2023, the commission had stopped the execution of already-announced development schemes and restrained the government from announcing new projects.
“Even the funding and execution of schemes in flood-hit areas of rural Sindh were banned,” he said.
“However, that particular ban was lifted only after the PPP raised objections as it could have badly affected the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people. Otherwise, the ban is there. Currently, only those projects are ongoing which are funded by the international donor agencies. The projects approved in the budget 2023-24 are at standstill,” the leader claimed.
Level playing field
Separately, speaking to media persons after his visit to a newly-established university in Multan, PPP leader Yousuf Raza Gilani said Nawaz Sharif should come back to Pakistan and play his role in strengthening democracy in the country. He said all politicians should be given a level playing field to launch campaigns in the lead-up to general elections.
“The political parties should approach the Election Commission of Pakistan if they had any reservations regarding participation in the upcoming general elections and the commission would address their grievances,” he said.
In response to a question about political differences with other stakeholders, the former PM said the PPP central executive committee had tasked former president Asif Ali Zardari to approach relevant quarters to address the issues of their party. He added the PPP was not running away from elections.
Mr Gilani said the PPP had nominated its candidates for polls when the Punjab Assembly was dissolved and now the parliamentary board of the party was holding meetings to issue tickets to candidates for general elections.
