In Islamabad, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected a plea from Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) presidential candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai to postpone the presidential elections scheduled for today. The commission provided a written reply to Achakzai, stating that he had not raised objections during the submission and scrutiny of nomination papers, and the electoral college is now fully operational to conduct the polls. The ECP emphasized that all assemblies are currently functioning following the election of the prime minister and chief ministers.
The incumbent President, Dr. Arif Alvi, is the country’s fourth democratically elected president to complete a five-year term. Currently on an extended tenure after his initial term concluded on September 9 last year, President Alvi continued in office as the National Assembly and provincial assemblies were dissolved at the end of his term.
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Achakzai had approached the ECP with concerns about conducting the presidential polls without filling numerous vacant reserve seats in national and provincial assemblies. He argued that proceeding with the election under such circumstances would be in violation of the law and the Constitution. In his letter to the ECP, Achakzai firmly stated that the election should be postponed until the electoral college is completed. Achakzai also disclosed that the SIC had submitted an application to the Peshawar High Court regarding the issue of reserve seats and expressed hope for a fair decision from the court on this matter.
This development unfolded a day after the ruling coalition, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), endorsed the nomination of Asif Ali Zardari from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the presidency. The rejection of Achakzai’s plea by the ECP sets the stage for the scheduled presidential elections, indicating that the electoral process will proceed despite the raised concerns. As the political landscape evolves, the focus will likely shift to the outcome of the elections and any subsequent legal developments surrounding the contested reserve seats.
