By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Senate voted on Friday to postpone the election scheduled for next month, citing security and weather concerns, in a move that drew sharp criticism from the main political parties.
The resolution, which is not legally binding, said the elections should be held in April or May, when the weather is warmer and the security situation is more stable, to ensure the participation of all citizens and regions.
The resolution was passed by a thin majority of 14 out of 104 senators, who belong to smaller parties or are independent.
It was moved by Senator Dilawar Khan, an independent lawmaker from Balochistan, who said the various political parties had expressed concerns about the difficulties of campaigning and mobilizing voters in colder areas, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where January and February are the coldest months.
The election commission, which is responsible for conducting the polls, did not immediately comment on the resolution but has previously said it is ready to hold the elections on Feb. 8 as scheduled.
Pakistan is currently being run by a caretaker government under the interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who was appointed by the previous parliament in August.
The caretaker government is meant to oversee a smooth transition to a newly elected government, but Kakar’s administration has been given unprecedented powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, thanks to the recent legislation passed by the previous parliament.
The legislation was aimed at keeping Pakistan on track to meet the conditions of a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout that was secured in July, amid a balance of payments crisis and a weakening currency.
Political analysts say the delay in elections could create more uncertainty and instability in the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people, which has been plagued by political and economic turmoil for decades.
They also fear that a prolonged period without an elected government could allow the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history since independence in 1947, to tighten its grip on power.
The military, which denies meddling in politics, has been accused by a main political party of engineering the dissolution of the previous parliament and influencing the formation of the caretaker government.
The resolution’s backers said they were acting in the interest of democracy and the people, and that the delay was aimed at upholding constitutional rights to political participation.
“The Senate of Pakistan hereby resolves that the conduct of elections without addressing legitimate concerns, facilitating sufficient opportunities for election campaigns, and guaranteeing the safety of politicians and citizens would amount to a violation of fundamental rights,” the resolution reads.
The Senate office later issued a notification regarding the resolution’s approval and requested the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to take necessary action and submit a report to the secretariat within two months on the resolution’s central demands.
However, the move was swiftly denounced by all major political parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who accused the resolution’s backers of trying to subvert the constitution and the Supreme Court’s orders.
Barrister Gohar Khan, a PTI leader, said the resolution had no legal or constitutional basis and was an attempt by some political parties to defer the polls by using the floor of the Senate.
Khan urged the top court to take immediate notice of the resolution and take effective and remedial measures to ensure the transparency and fairness of the elections.
Senator Sherry Rehman of the PPP said her party wanted timely elections and had special directives from chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to clear the air after the passage of the resolution.
The PML-N also declared that it wanted no delay in the polls and was making preparations for the elections.
Party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said on X her party’s decision was categorical and that the polls should be held on Feb. 8 according to the ECP’s schedule.
Sirajul Haq of rightwing Jamaat-i-Islami said the resolution was a conspiracy against the country and democracy and that people could not be deprived of their fundamental right to elect their representatives via transparent elections.
Caretaker Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi said there were no directives from the prime minister or the federal cabinet regarding a delay.
The minister said no signal had been received from any quarters regarding the postponement of elections.
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