Pakistan's major political parties demand election be held on Feb 8 itself after Senate resolution seeks delay

Shocked at a resolution passed by the Senate seeking a delay in the February 8 general elections and displaying a rare unity, all major political parties in Pakistan on Saturday demanded no change in the schedule.

A petition for contempt proceedings was also filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday against the Senate chairman and its members after the resolution was adopted to postpone the elections despite the top court order to hold the polls on the scheduled day.

The developments come less than 24 hours after the Senate on Friday approved a non-binding resolution seeking a delay in the general election, citing cold weather and security concerns leading to an increase in the political uncertainty ahead of the planned polls.

The Dawn newspaper reported that demanding that the Supreme Court (SC) take immediate notice of the resolution passed by the Senate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Barrister Gohar Khan said: “A resolution of 14 senators based on their personal opinions, has no legal or binding force in the constitutional process of holding general elections.”

He also saw the “attempt by some political parties” to delay the polls by using the floor of the Senate as “tantamount to (an) attack on Constitution and democracy” and claimed that those scared of the elections had violated the sanctity of the upper house of parliament by passing an unconstitutional resolution.

The Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) seemed to be in a Catch-22 situation after the passage of the Senate resolution, since it was not opposed by the sole party Senator, Behramand Tangi, in the House at the time of voting, leading the party to distance itself from his stance and vowing to seek explanation from him.

Later at a press conference, PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman made it clear that the party wanted timely elections and it had “special directives” from chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to clear the air after the passage of the resolution.

The PPP leader also tried to downplay the impact of the resolution, saying that it did not carry any weight as the house failed the meet the quorum requirements for such a move.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), too, categorically declared that it wants no delay in the February 8 polls, saying that it was making preparations for the elections, as per party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb’s post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

The Jamaat-e-Islami emir, Sirajul Haq, said people could not be deprived of their fundamental right to elect their representatives via transparent elections and said the resolution was “a conspiracy against the country and democracy.”

“Postponing elections due to unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be tantamount to surrendering arms to those spreading unrest,” he added.

Meanwhile, caretaker Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi, who was present in the Senate when the resolution was passed, said he did not get a chance to present his arguments over the resolution.

However, he made it clear that there were no directives from the prime minister or the federal cabinet regarding a delay.

According to Article 218(3) of the Constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan is empowered to conduct elections, give a date or change the date for elections, Solangi said, adding, “We cannot interfere in the affairs of a constitutional body.”

On Saturday, a lawyer, Ishtiaq Ahmed, in his petition urged the apex court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, and the senators who supported the resolution.

Emphasising the need for legal action against the chairman and the members involved, Ahmed contended that the resolution passed by the Senate falls within the purview of contempt of court.

Express News channel reported that the application has been officially submitted to the Supreme Court, urging a thorough examination of the constitutional validity of the Senate's decision.