Pakistan: Another resolution demanding delay in February 8 elections presented in Senate

A resolution demanding postponement of the February 8 general elections in Pakistan was presented in the Senate on Sunday. Two days ago also a similar proposal was presented in the Upper House of Parliament. This is the third proposal of its kind introduced in the Senate, citing cold weather and security concerns to postpone the election. The motion moved by independent senator Hilal-ur-Rehman said the extreme cold weather and snowfall will create difficulties for citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to cast their votes and create challenges for candidates trying to campaign. . “Similarly, due to security concerns in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, candidates are facing threats of terrorist attacks during election campaigning,” the resolution said.

The resolution said the security issue is also creating hurdles and limiting the participation of candidates in their campaigns. The resolution urges the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the elections to a date acceptable to all concerned stakeholders. The proposal said that this will also help in removing obstacles coming in the way of free and fair elections. A similar proposal was tabled two days ago, demanding a three-month delay in the general elections. This proposal was presented by independent senator Hidayatullah on Friday. Hidayatullah also cited “security challenges” in view of the increase in terrorist attacks in different parts of the country as the reason for delaying the elections.

Earlier in the month, the Senate passed a non-binding resolution demanding a delay in general elections, citing cold weather and security concerns, increasing political uncertainty ahead of elections scheduled for February 8. The Election Commission rejected the Senate’s proposal and clarified that the elections will be held on February 8, 2024. Major political parties had also rejected the non-binding proposal, saying further delaying the electoral process would be “unconstitutional”. So far, the Election Commission has not given any indication about postponing the elections and all the processes ahead of the voting on February 8 are being done as per schedule.

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