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The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) on Tuesday advised the government to ensure the conduct of general elections nationwide upon the completion of the National Assembly’s five-year term on Aug. 12, warning of serious threats to national polity if any delays occurred.
In a statement, the Islamabad-based think-tank said the Election Commission of Pakistan must be “fully prepared” to conduct general elections by October 2023 “honestly, justly and fairly” as per its constitutional obligations. In this regard, it urged the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to complete the 2023 census in sufficient time for the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to approve it so that the ECP could complete the delimitation of constituencies before elections are due in October.
“Only a free and fair and timely general election can bring back desperately-needed political stability in Pakistan keeping in view recent political turmoil and mounting economic troubles,” it said, stressing that the country needed a government that had a five-year mandate to take difficult decisions to fix the economy.
PILDAT said that after the National Assembly completes its five-year term on Aug. 12, the Constitution calls for elections within 60 days, i.e. no later than Oct. 12. However, it noted, if the National Assembly were dissolved even one day before the completion of its term, this limit would increase by 30 days, meaning polls must take place no later than Nov. 11. “PILDAT has advised that under no circumstances the date of the General Election should be extended beyond this time if such a situation arises,” it stressed.
Acknowledging that emergency provisions of the Constitution allow for the National Assembly’s term to be extended for up to a year, it cautioned that this did not apply to 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 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa beyond the constitutional limit of 90 days,” it warned.
Maintaining that the armed forces should have no role in the political process, PILDAT stressed that their “respect and integrity as a constitutional entity must be upheld by all citizens.” Referring to the May 9 riots, it supported bringing to justice all culprits, but advised against the use of military courts to prosecute civilians. It also urged the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to resume dialogue to evolve consensus on elections, stressing that accountability of the May 9 rioters “should not impede the political and electoral process in any way.”
The think-tank’s statement concluded by emphasizing that any postponement of general election beyond October-November was fraught with serious threats to the national polity, economy and integrity.