ECP assures political parties of early elections, level playing field

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) promised on Thursday that free and fair elections would be held in the country “as soon as possible” and that all political parties would be given an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

The promise was made during the first consultation with political parties on the election schedule, which was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

Separate consultative sessions were held with the representatives of PTI and JUI-F, also attended by members and senior ECP officials.

The discussions were part of ECP’s deliberations with major political parties on electoral matters such as delimitations, conducting the polls and other related issues.

According to ECP’s Media Coordination and Outreach Wing statement, the forum, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, stressed the need for transparency in the electoral process whereas it also assured its obligation to ensure equal opportunities for all parties.

The PTI delegation stressed that elections should be held within 90 days as required by the Constitution and said there was no need for delimitation at this time. It called for immediate release of party leaders and workers, and added that the party should be allowed to hold rallies. It called for equal opportunities for PTI in politics like other parties.

The JUI-F delegation said there was no doubt that holding elections within 90 days was a constitutional requirement, but now that the census results had been notified, the ECP should first complete the delimitation process so that all parties, candidates and voters are facilitated in the polls.

They noted that electoral rolls should be updated in accordance with the new census blocks before the elections, the lists of polling stations should be corrected and the appointment of impartial and honest returning officers and district returning officers should be ensured.

The meeting was attended by PTI’s Babar Awan, Barrister Ali Zafar, Umair Niazi and Ali Mohammad Khan (via video link), whereas Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Jalaluddin Advocate, Maulana Ataul Haque Darwesh, Senator Kamran Murtaza (via video link) and others represented the JUI-F.