ISLAMABAD: With election-related activity slowly picking up steam in the country, a third resolution seeking a delay in the February 8 polls landed in the Senate on Sunday, this time citing the weather and the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On January 5, a thinly-attended session of the upper house of parliament had become the talk of the town after it adopted a resolution, albeit a non-binding one, seeking the postponement of the general elections over security and bad weather concerns.
The widely panned resolution, which was not initially scheduled for discussion, was introduced by independent Senator Dilawar Khan and received support primarily from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) senators. However, it also appeared to have the tacit support of some other parties, and the absence of lawmakers from mainstream political parties raised several questions.
PPP Senator Bahramand Tangi not only kept silent at the time of the voice vote, but also delivered a speech stressing the need for peace before polls. He was later issued a show-cause notice by his party for deviating from its policy.
The passage of the resolution was subsequently condemned by politicians and lawyers, who termed it a “conspiracy against democracy” and asserted that polls be held on time.
Subsequently, a resolution was submitted in the Senate by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, emphasising the need to adhere to “constitutional requirements” and ensure the timely conduct of the polls. Last week, senators belonging to the PTI, PPP and Jamaat-i-Islami also requisitioned a session to discuss the timely conduct of free and fair polls.
However, independent Senator Hidayatullah on Friday submitted a second resolution seeking delay in polls to the upper house of Parliament.
The resolution referred to the surge in acts of terrorism and violence in the country with particular reference to armed attacks in North Waziristan, Bajaur and Turbat, causing severe injuries to a veteran nationalist politician running for national and provincial assembly seats, and killing of another candidate. The resolution said that these incidents had perturbed the country and created an environment of insecurity.
The resolution urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Supreme Court to sympathetically consider conduct of peaceful elections and postpone the polls for three months in view of the security challenges.
During this time, the resolution said, the government should create an environment guaranteeing a level-playing field for all political parties and candidates.
Today, a third resolution demanding a delay in polls was submitted to the Senate Secretariat by an independent senator from KP, Hilalur Rehman. The resolution, a copy of which is available, cited the cold weather and increasing incidents of terrorism in KP as reasons for delaying polls.
It stated that the increasingly cold weather and snow were not providing a conducive environment for citizens to cast their votes and were also creating challenges for candidates trying to campaign.
“In the same way, due to security concerns in the country, especially in KP, candidates are facing threats of terrorist attacks while campaigning,” it said, adding that it was also creating obstacles and limiting candidates’ participation in their campaigns.
The resolution said that because of this, the people of the province and candidates, especially those belonging to erstwhile Fata, were being affected.
It went on to say that due to the increasing “sense of deprivation” and the fear of KP’s citizens being left out of the election process, the date announced for the general election was proving to be “unsuitable” for the province.
It urged the ECP to delay polls to a date which was acceptable for all the relevant stakeholders and that would also help in removing hurdles in the way of free and fair elections.
