ECP rejects govt’s plea to postpone presidential poll

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday rejected the request submitted by the government seeking postponement of the presidential election.

The Law Ministry had written a letter to the Election Commission asking for change in the announced schedule for holding the presidential election in the country. The letter had said that the announced presidential election was falling in the last 10 days of Ramazan, when most of the lawmakers would be busy performing Umrah or sitting in Aitekaf.

The letter further said that keeping in view the engagements of lawmakers, the announced schedule should be changed to ensure their presence and participation in the voting process. The Election Commission confirmed that the letter was received from the government.

The commission’s secretariat rejected the request for a change in the schedule and sent its summary to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim for final decision over the matter.

The presidential election would be held on August 06, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission. Meanwhile, the chief election commissioner said the schedule of the presidential election could be changed only through the orders of the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said the government had not sought rescheduling of the presidential election but only wanted a change in the polling date. Talking to the state-run radio‚ the minister said Lailatul Qadr was likely to fall on the next month‚ the date for polling announced by the Election Commission.

He said many parliamentarians would be busy in worship‚ Aitekaf‚ or might be in Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah on the occasion. Therefore‚ the government has requested the commission to hold presidential election a few days earlier than the schedule‚ so that no member of the electoral college is deprived of the worship as well as right to vote.

To a question Pervaiz Rashid said there is no constitutional or legal bar in holding presidential election before by-elections. The minister said vacancies in the electoral college do not affect the presidential election in any way as the outcome would be determined on the basis of members present and voting. However, he said, the presence of all the members of the electoral college will be desirable.