President Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja have come to a consensus, confirming that general elections in the country will be conducted on February 8, 2024.
The consultation was a directive from the Supreme Court, mandating the election commission to liaise with the president and inform the court about the chosen election date.
The ECP delegation was led by CEC Raja and Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, with President Alvi at his Secretariat. Their discussion aimed to finalize a poll date, and it was unanimously determined that the elections would occur on the date mentioned above.
Reactions from Major Political Entities
The ECP’s initial announcement for an election date on February 11, 2024, was well-received by the nation’s three major political factions: the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Several leaders from these parties voiced their support. PPP’s Nayyer Bukhari emphasized the importance of timely elections and critiqued unelected bodies governing the nation. Ayaz Sadiq from PML-N lauded the announcement, noting that initiating the election process was a positive development. At the same time, his colleague Irfan Siddiqui cherished the Supreme Court’s involvement in the matter. Representing PTI, Barrister Ali Zafar appreciated the clarity brought by the Supreme Court, eliminating uncertainties surrounding the elections.
The Backstory of the Election Dilemma
Political turbulence has swept the nation since the dismissal of the Imran Khan government via a no-confidence motion in April 2022. Following this, the Shehbaz Sharif administration dissolved the National Assembly in August, prompting expectations for elections within a 90-day window. However, delays ensued, attributed to the approval of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, which mandated fresh delimitations based on its results.
While the ECP had initially earmarked the last week of January 2024 for the general elections, they also published a preliminary report on constituency delimitations.
The delay in announcing an election date led to several petitions being lodged with the Supreme Court, all urging adherence to the 90-day election guideline. These petitions remained pending under the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
