LAHORE:
Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday night said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) violated the Constitution by postponing the Punjab Assembly elections, asking everyone to stand behind the legal community “with expectation that they will protect the Constitution”.
“By postponing Punjab elections till Oct ECP has violated the Constitution. Today everyone must stand behind the legal community – the judiciary & lawyers – with expectation that they will protect Constitution. For if this is accepted today than [then] it is the end of Rule of Law in Pak,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
By postponing Punjab elections till Oct ECP has violated the Constitution. Today everyone must stand behind the legal community – the judiciary & lawyers – with expectation that they will protect Constitution. For if this is accepted today then it is the end of Rule of Law in Pak
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2023
His tweet came shortly after ECP withdrew its notification regarding polls in Punjab scheduled for April 30, postponing elections for the provincial assembly until October 8, 2023.
“We dissolved our 2 provincial legislatures with expectation that elections would be held in 90 days as clearly given in our Constitution. We did not take this action to allow a bunch of fascists to impose a reign of terror, violating the Constitution & Rule of Law,” the PTI chief added.
We dissolved our 2 provincial legislatures with expectation that elections would be held in 90 days as clearly given in our Constitution. We did not take this action to allow a bunch of fascists to impose a reign of terror, violating the Constitution & Rule of Law.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2023
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party also demanded the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) to take suo motu notice of the ECP’s decision to postpone elections in Punjab till October.
Also read: ECP postpones Punjab Assembly elections until October
Reacting over the commission’s decision, PTI leaders said the commission had violated the Constitution and disobeyed the apex court order to hold elections in Punjab as per the constitutional obligation.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the commission had violated the Constitution and all its members who signed the notification to postpone polls in Punjab were guilty of violating the Article 6 of the Constitution.
In another tweet, the PTI leader lamented that after this decision the Constitution and the apex court had been virtually finished and the country had been converted into a state having no constitution.
آئین اور سپریم کورٹ عملاً ختم کر دی گئ ہے، پاکستان اب سر زمیں بے آئین ہے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 22, 2023
PTI leader Andleeb Abbas said all institutions and parties which assisted the commission to make this decision should be punished under Article 6 of the Constitution. Without naming any PDM party, she said, no matter what you do you cannot run from elections.
PTI leader Musarat Jamshed Cheema said it is the gross violation of the Constitution that would not go unpunished. “The party would not allow snatch this fundamental right of the people of Pakistan.”
Source link: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2407524/poll-delay-imran-expects-legal-fraternity-to-protect-constitution