Just a day after the government and the opposition reached some semblance of consensus on country-wide polls, the PTI on Wednesday submitted a letter to the Supreme Court seeking the implementation of the SC\u2019s order on holding elections in Punjab on May 14 \u201cin letter and spirit\u201d and stated that \u201cin spite of the best efforts of parties, no solution within the Constitution\u201d was found.
\nA day earlier, the PTI and federal coalition concluded the make-or-break round of the much-awaited negotiations on polls. The talks began on the top court\u2019s advice last week.
\nSpeaking to reporters after the sitting last night, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar \u2014 who was leading the government side \u2014 had told reporters that both sides had agreed to hold elections to the national and provincial assemblies on a single date under the watch of caretaker setups, but it had yet to be decided what that date would be.
\nOn the other hand, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi had regretted that no decision could be taken on \u201cpracticable proposals\u201d put forward by his party.
\nSubsequently, PTI lawyers Faisal Chaudhry and Ali Bukhari submitted a report on the government-PTI negotiations in the apex court today.
\nThe report,\u00a0stated that after the Supreme Court\u2019s order, talks between the government and the PTI were held \u201cwith full sincerity\u201d on April 27, April 28, and May 2.
\nIt outlined that the parties arrived at the consensus that a dialogue between political parties was important and the solution to all political questions ultimately lay with the political parties.
\n\u201cBoth teams shall endeavor to hold this dialogue with full sincerity and try to arrive at a solution that is (a) in the best interest of the people and Pakistan and (b) in accordance with law and the Constitution,\u201d the report highlighted.
\nIt said that the parties also agreed not to use the dialogue as a \u201cdelaying tactic\u201d and the talks \u201chave no bearing\u201d on the SC\u2019s April 4 judgment \u201cuntil and unless an agreement within the confines of the Constitution is arrived at between the parties and such agreement is implemented\u201d.
\nThe PTI recalled in the report that its initial stance was that elections to the assemblies needed to be held within 90 days as already determined by the SC.
\n\u201cThis being the constitutional mandate, there is no scope for changing this date by ordinary consent of the parties. The request was accordingly made to the PDM\/alliance to abide by the constitutional provisions and the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and hold the elections to the Punjab Assembly on 14.05.2023. It was also stressed that elections to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly be held forthwith as well.\u201d
\nHowever, the opposition party contended that the government\u2019s stance was that elections to the national and provincial assemblies should be held on the same day in October 2023 after the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) and the legislatures of Sindh and Balochistan.
\nAfter deliberations, the report continued, the PTI extended a proposal to the ruling alliance that it was willing to hold the elections across the country on the same date subject to the following conditions:
\nIf the NA and other remaining provincial assemblies were dissolved by or before May 14.
\nThe elections to the NA as well as to the provincial assemblies of Sindh, Punjab, KP, and Balochistan be held together within 60 days of the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies i.e. in the second week of July 2023.
\nIn order to give a constitutional cover to the holding of the elections to the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP beyond the period of 90 days, MNAs belonging to PTI will rejoin the NA and a one-time constitutional amendment validating the delay in elections beyond the period of 90 days for Punjab and KP assemblies shall be carried out by mutual consent of the political parties.
\nAll the parties shall agree that the election results shall be accepted as a whole subject to individual grievances in accordance with the law.
\nAn agreement in writing to the above effect shall be submitted before the SC in order to ensure that the implementation of the agreement was complied with by the parties in letter and spirit.
\nThe PTI report went on to say that the government rejected its proposal.
\n\u201cInstead, they have proposed that the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan shall take place on July 30 and elections be held in 90 days thereafter i.e. the first week of October 2023 for the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan together,\u201d it said.
\nThe opposition party further highlighted that there was a \u201clack of consensus\u201d between the parties regarding the \u201cimplementation of the agreement\u201d.
\nSubsequently, the PTI prayed that despite the \u201cbest efforts of the parties\u201d, a solution \u201cwithin the Constitution\u201d could not be reached.
\n\u201cIt is accordingly prayed that the judgment dated 04.04.2023 passed in Constitution Petition No.5 of 2023 requiring elections to be held to the Punjab Assembly on 14.05.2023 may be implemented in letter and spirit so that the Constitution is upheld and does not stand violated, and this petition may be disposed of accordingly,\u201d the report concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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