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Updated April 20th, 2023 at 15:30 IST

Pak SC asks coalition govt, PTI to reach consensus on election date by 4pm today

“Our effort will be to create a political consensus through these dialogues. Elections should be held on a single day as soon as possible,” said Pakistan's CJ.

Reported by: Digital Desk
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IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday, April 20 asked the federal coalition of Pakistan and PTI to develop a consensus on the date for elections in the country latest by 4 pm, according to SuchTV Pakistan. The Pakistan Supreme Court reiterated that it won't agree to go back on its order to fix May 14 as the date for elections to the Punjab Assembly. Pakistan's Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, at the court, announced that there will be no obstinacy in negotiations and added that all parties involved must hold bilateral dialogues to agree upon a common date. 

'Sit today and negotiate': Pakistan's Chief Justice

Pakistan's Chief Justice asked all political parties to "sit today and negotiate," and not delay the dialogue until after Eid-ul-Fitr. He added that any date can be fixed for after the festival of Eidul Adha in July. The hearing was done by the three-judge bench headed by Justice Bandial and comprised of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar. A notice was also issued at least three days ago to all the majority Pakistani political parties after a constitutional petition was brought to the court by Sardar Kashif Khan, a permanent citizen of Abbottabad, for holding elections of all provincial and national assemblies on the same day. The petition was overlooked by Shah Khawar, counsel for Khan. 

"There is a need for political dialogue for ending the impasse on the issue of holding general elections for Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assemblies," the counsel for the petitioner said, according to the Pakistani broadcaster. While the hearing commenced today, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan also requested a 15-minute break in order to bring more seating to facilitate “political leaders” to reach a consensus via a dialogue. It was insisted in the court that holding elections on the same date "was necessary for Pakistan's democracy. The apex court, however, ruled that it would in fact, be appropriate for the court to hear all the leaders involved to make justifiable decisions. 

“There is anxiety within the nation [regarding elections], and there will be peace if the political leadership solves the problem,” Pakistan's Chief Justice Bandial was quoted a saying. 

Chief Justice Bandial furthermore noted that it would be “a blessing” if all the Pakistani political leaders resolved the issue through “understanding” and a dialogue. He added that the Ministry of Defense of Pakistan has also been pushing for the country to hold the elections on the same day. Bandial then ruled that "Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] appreciates the dialogue and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz [PML-N] also appreciated the proposal of negotiations”. On behalf of PPP, Farooq Naik made an appearance in court. Other politicians present were Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Tariq Bashir Cheema. 

Chief Justice iterated that the ruling political alliance agreed that 90 days for the elections had passed and that the court extended the date for it twice. Therefore, said CJ, the political parties "have already started working together for elections. Bilawal Bhutto also met Maulana Fazlur Rahman in this regard,” he added. The court ruled that a political dialogue within the government coalition should be held right after Eid. It insisted that Pakistan's ruling coalition must hold talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to end tensions and impasse and decide on a date. 

“Our effort will be to create a political consensus through these dialogues. Elections should be held on a single day as soon as possible,” said the Pakistan's Chief Justice Bandial. 

PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique told the court that his party was “fully ready for negotiations on elections” and that a meeting of party leaders was called after Eid. “Instead of wasting the time of state institutions, politicians should talk among themselves,” he was further quoted as saying. 

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Published April 20th, 2023 at 15:30 IST

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