By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: As a stalemate continues with the opposition and the top court regarding the upcoming May elections, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday, ostensibly to seek the military’s support in postponing the polls due to security concerns.
Although no official statement has been released regarding the committee meeting, local media reported that it will be chaired by PM Sharif and attended by high-ranking officials such as the Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, heads of the air force and the navy, and federal ministers for defence, finance, and information.
The government will ask for a briefing from the top brass on potential threats from militants in case elections were held in Punjab on May 14th as per the Supreme Court’s order, daily dawn reported.
The military authorities have reportedly provided a detailed briefing to the government stating that terrorist groups have regrouped in tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, making electioneering conditions unfavorable.
The newspaper reported that the meeting “may also discuss the option of declaring an emergency under Article 232 of the Constitution for a maximum period of one year. However, parliamentary approval is necessary to declare an emergency”.
The meeting is taking place at a critical moment in Pakistan’s history as the nation grapples with severe economic and political challenges.
Moreover, the country is on the brink of a potential conflict between the judiciary and the executive due to the federal government’s rejection of the Supreme Court’s ruling by a three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, ordering the holding of elections in Punjab on May 14th.
The current coalition government had previously convened an NSC meeting in April last year to refute the ‘foreign conspiracy narrative’ propagated by the former prime minister and Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan after his removal from power in a no-trust vote.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Khan has criticized the government for calling the NSC meeting, claiming that the government intends to postpone the elections using security as an excuse.
He believes such a move would pit the armed forces against the judiciary and the nation.
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