Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is always ready for elections. However, the decision on when to hold the new elections lies with the government.
The CEC made the comments in an informal conversation with journalists, the media reported. Moreover, he said that the ECP had taken decisions fearlessly and will continue to do so.
“If anyone gets annoyed with our decision, it is their issue but we will continue to take our decisions in line with the Constitution and the given laws,” he said.
Read more: ECP announces elections on 20 de-seated MPAs’ vacant seats in Punjab Assembly
Pakistan’s current political turmoil centers around early elections. PTI, while rejecting the incumbent government, has demanded early elections. In fact, PTI Chairman Imran Khan gave an ultimatum to the government. PPP has opposed early elections before electoral reforms. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has that the National Assembly would decide the date for the next general elections.
ECP completes members
Earlier, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja administered the oath to two newly appointed ECP members. ECP member from Punjab Babar Hassan Bharwana and a member from KP Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan took the oath of their new responsibilities.
As a result, the ECP is finally complete with the appointment of two of its members after a delay of more than 10 months. The positions had been vacant since July 26, 2021, after the retirement of former Justice Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi (member from Punjab) and retired Justice Irshad Qaiser (member from KP).
Babar Hassan Bharwana and Ikramullah Khan have been appointed as members of Election Commission of Pakistan from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively @ECP_Pakistan https://t.co/fCLMKigcib pic.twitter.com/bN9mLcRywU
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) June 1, 2022
President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday appointed Babar Hassan Bharwana and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan as members of the ECP from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively.
Read more: Can hold elections in the next four months: ECP
The president made these appointments under Article 218 (2)(b) of the Constitution on the advice of the prime minister. Under the Constitution, the ECP comprises chief election commissioner and four members — one from each province.