President Alvi invites CEC for 'urgent meeting' on general elections dates

President Arif Alvi on Friday invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for an 'urgent meeting' on February 20 for consultations on the date or dates for general elections in the country. The consultation will take place in accordance with Section 57(1) of Elections Act, 2017, which provides that the president shall announce the date or dates of the general elections after consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). In his letter to the CEC, President Alvi said that since his letter, dated February 8, some substantial developments, such as the Lahore High Court (LHC) order that directed the ECP to announce the date for elections in Punjab without delay and recent observations of the Supreme Court had taken place. صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی کا چیف الیکشن کمشنر کو خط صدر مملکت کی چیف الیکشن کمشنر کو انتخابات سے متعلق ہنگامی اجلاس کی دعوت صدر مملکت کی سکندر سلطان راجہ کو 20 فروری 2023 کو ایوان صدر میں سیکشن 57 ایک کے تحت الیکشنز کے حوالے سے مشاورت کے لیے دعوت — The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) February 17, 2023 He further expressed displeasure over the apathy and inaction on the part of the electoral watchdog that didn’t respond to his earlier letter as yet. The president stated that he had “waited anxiously that the ECP would realize its constitutional duties to proceed and act accordingly, but he was extremely dismayed by the electoral watchdog’s poignant approach on this important matter”. Read more: Imran fears next polls would be rigged due to ‘anti-PTI postings’ In his letter, President Alvi once again reminded the ECP that being conscious of his constitutional responsibility of preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution, he was inviting CEC for an urgent meeting on the matter. Earlier this month, the president had urged the electoral watchdog to “immediately announce” the dates for elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab, warning that the Constitution did not allow for any delays as they would cause “serious long-term setbacks to democracy”. President Alvi had also stressed the need for putting an end to the “dangerous speculative propaganda” about both the provincial assembly and general polls. In a letter to the CEC, the president highlighted the “relevant provisions of the Constitution” after the “dissolution of [the] two provincial assemblies … and consequential elections to be held there”.

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