On Wednesday, President Dr. Arif Alvi expressed uncertainty regarding theproposed January date for the general elections, questioning whether theywould proceed as scheduled by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He disclosed that he had written a letter to the ECP suggesting an amicableresolution, but their response was dismissive. In September, the ECP hadannounced that the elections would occur in the last week of January 2024,based on the completion of the delimitation process by November 30,followed by a 54-day election program.
This announcement seemed to clarify the political landscape but left roomfor speculation, as the exact election date remained undisclosed. During aninterview with a private TV channel, Alvi reaffirmed his allegiance to PTIChairman Imran Khan, stating that Khan is still his leader and that if hewere not the President, he might be in jail today.
This came after the incarceration of several PTI leaders and supportersfollowing the May 9 riots that ensued after Khan’s arrest on the same day.Many PTI leaders later distanced themselves from the party due to a lawenforcement crackdown in response to attacks on military installations.
Alvi also mentioned that he signed the 2017 Election Act amendment while onHajj pilgrimage, and he did not sign it earlier due to changes to Article57/1 in the Act. In August, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar SultanRaja declined to meet with President Alvi to finalize the election date,citing recent amendments to the Elections Act 2017, emphasizing that theECP held sole authority to announce the polling date.
Read Top Stories
During the interview, Alvi clarified that he did not initiate the referenceagainst Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faiz Isa; it originated fromthe Prime Minister’s House.
Later, former Prime Minister Imran Khan also refused to send thereference. In May 2019, at the advice of Imran Khan, President Arif Alvihad filed a reference against Justice Isa, who was not the Chief Justice atthe time.