By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Two key allies in the ruling coalition have expressed doubts that the upcoming general elections will be held on time, amid a dispute over the digital census and delimitation of constituencies.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the second largest party in the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warned that raising the issue of the census at this stage could delay the polls, which are expected to take place in October or November.
The party said it preferred to hold the elections based on the previous census and urged the election commission to conduct the polls within 60 days of dissolving the assemblies.
The far-right JUI-F, another partner in the coalition, also sounded skeptical about the timely holding of the polls, saying it was up to the interim setup to decide when the electoral process would take place. The party’s chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the head of the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement, said his government would quit and dissolve the assemblies as per the constitution, but added that he was not concerned about the supervision of the polls.
The issue of the census has become a bone of contention after some cabinet ministers said that the elections would not be held based on the digital census conducted earlier this year.
The Karachi-based MQM-P, another ally in the ruling coalition, has demanded that the elections be held based on the latest census. The census is crucial for determining the allocation of seats and resources among provinces and districts.
The Prime Minister Sharif, earlier this month, stated that assemblies would be dissolved before completing their full term of five years, giving credence to reports that the government wanted the caretaker setup to last for three months.
According to law, if assemblies are dissolved after completing their full term, polls are held after 60 days. However, if assemblies are dissolved early, the caretaker setup is installed for 90 days.
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