Rana Sanaullah says option for emergency is available in constitution

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the option of invoking an emergency in the country is available in the constitution of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

“The option of emergency is available in the constitution and it is not going anywhere,” Rana Sanaullah said while talking to newsmen outside the Supreme Court flanked by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

Rana Sanaullah said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the law minister very clearly presented the government’s stance over the three-member bench in the Parliament.

Strongly criticizing PTI chief, the interior minister alleged Imran Khan created political crisis, which also affected the agreement with IMF. He said Imran Khan is also ‘responsible’ for putting the country into the judicial crisis, we are facing today.

Read more: SC nullifies ECP’s decision on Punjab, KP elections

Rana Sanaullah again demanded holding elections in the country on the same day as conducting elections in two provinces will push the country towards another political and constitutional crisis.

Speaking on this occasion, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said PML-N believes in democracy and we have rendered a lot of sacrificed to strengthen democracy and democratic norms.

SC verdict in election delay case

The Supreme Court (SC) declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) March 22 order on Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) elections null and void.

A three-member bench — comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — announced the verdict on the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order postponing the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The Supreme Court declared the ECP’s order postponing the provincial assembly elections until October 8 as “unconstitutional” and ordered the government to release Rs10 billion for elections in Punjab by April 10.

The top court directed to conduct Punjab polls on May 14. The SC further directed the caretaker government in Punjab to assist the commission.