ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has denied the appeal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) presidential candidate Mahmood Achakzai for a postponement in the election of the head of state.
“In exercise of powers conferred upon it [the commission] under Articles 218(3) and 41 of the Constitution read with Second Schedule and further read with Presidential Election Rules, 1988, decline to delay the election to the office of the President and reject the petitioner’s application,” the electoral body’s order signed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja and others stated.
Achakzai on Friday had written to the CEC seeking a postponement of the presidential polls scheduled for Saturday (today), saying that the electoral college as “prescribed by law and Constitution”
The presidential election was “still incomplete” since “some reserved seats” in the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies remained unfilled.
The presidential contender, who is running against Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the presidency, added that the electoral college cannot be completed until the seats are filled. He went on to say that unless the seats are filled, the presidential elections will be “illegal, unlawful, and against the spirit of the Constitution.”.
