PPP CEC decides to advocate general elections in 90 days

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Executive Committee (CEC) has decided to advocate the organisation of the general elections in 90 days, ARY News reported on Friday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari chaired the session of the PPP CEC to make key decisions including general elections and consultations with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The political party decided to urge the organisation of general polls in November, sources told ARY News. The CEC declared the 2023 census statistics ‘suspicious’.

During the session, the former Sindh chief minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah gave a briefing to the CEC members.

The PPP leaders said that the Sindh population was undercounted in the 2023 census data which would result in major losses including the distribution of the funds.

Sources said that PPP will finalise its strategy after the verdict of the Supreme Court (SC).

While addressing a press conference, Sherry Rehman said that the PPP CEC held discussions on various topics including general elections, delimitations, inflation and inflated utility bills.

“Another crisis will hit the nation if elections are not conducted in 90 days in accordance with the Constitution. PPP has adopted a stance of elections in 90 days.”

“ECP has invited the PPP for consultations and we have not changed our stance. We were told that elections would not be delayed after notifying the census.”

Regarding the caretaker set-up, she said that the caretaker government can neither pass new legislation nor amend any laws.

Sherry Rehman said that the country must not be pushed into another constitutional crisis. “There is no reason for delaying the polls when the number of seats is not being increased.”

Addressing the press conference, former Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah said that the digital census was ‘controversial’. “We agreed to notify the census data after being told that the number of seats will be unchanged.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has begun consultations with the major political parties ahead of the general elections to finalise the electoral roadmap.

Earlier in the month, PPP demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the general election date. The PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi said that the PPP wants free and fair elections across Pakistan on one day.

He said that ECP should not delay the announcement of the election date and that the election schedule must be issued immediately.