President invites CEC to announce dates for general elections

According to recent reports, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja will not meet President Dr. Arif Alvi for discussion on fixing the date for general elections. After a recent amendment to existing laws, fixing the date for the election is at the discretion of the ECP.

Reliable sources in ECP told The News that the CEC called a meeting of the commission to talk to its members about the matter of fixing the date before taking a formal position. It is not the ECP’s responsibility, according to the law, to consult with the president on this matter. “The law is very clear about it. The President has cited the wrong article for this purpose.”

President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, has invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, for a meeting on August 23 or 24, to fix an appropriate date for holding the general elections.

The letter, written to Mr. Raja by Dr. Alvi, states that the constitution requires the president to decide a date for general elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA).

The letter was shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the president. It noted that the national assembly was dissolved by the president on August 9th, as per the instructions given by the Prime Minister.

And “by virtue of Article 48(5) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president is obliged to appoint a date not later than 90 days from the date of dissolution for the holding of general elections of [the] assembly”, the letter read.

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