By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, announced on Sunday that it would commence its election campaign in Punjab on Monday, despite uncertainty over the date of the polls in the politically crucial province.
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar confirmed the news via Twitter, stating that the party would officially launch its election campaign despite the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) lack of readiness.
“Tehreek-e-Insaf will officially launch its election campaign tomorrow. They (PDM) may not be ready but we are ready,” Umar tweeted.
Khan’s PTI party had dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in January before the expiry of their mandated five-year terms to force early nationwide elections.
The party has been pushing for early snap polls since the former premier was ousted in a parliamentary vote last year.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his coalition PDM government have categorically rejected his demand and said that polls for all assemblies would be held as per schedule in October.
The current term of the National Assembly will complete its five-year term in August this year, and elections must be held within 90 days after its dissolution.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, last week instructed both sides to hold talks with a view to reaching an agreement on the constitutional and legal question of a consensual date for general elections. The court had earlier fixed May 14 as the date for polls in Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is still awaiting funds from the government to conduct the elections. Furthermore, the Defence Ministry has informed the ECP that the Pakistan Army will not be available to provide election security.
The government’s refusal to authorise funds to meet the expenditures has caused Parliament and the judiciary to lock horns over the holding of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The Supreme Court had directed the Sharif’s government to release Rs 21 billion in funds for the ECP by April 10 and provide security for the elections, but the government rejected the proposal as Parliament refused to release funds for the polls.
The PTI has finalised a list of 297 candidates after Khan personally interviewed all party candidates to uphold merit in awarding party tickets. However, not all allotments of tickets have gone well within the party, as many high-profile leaders were snubbed.
Khan plans to include the party’s vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Umar in the review committee to address objections, according to local television Geo News.
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