President Alvi has sent an invitation to the CEC for a “urgent meeting” to discuss the dates of the upcoming elections.
Disappointment is voiced about the fact that ECP has not responded to his earlier letter despite repeated attempts.

ISLAMABAD: On Friday, President Arif Alvi invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to a “urgent meeting” on February 20 to discuss the date or dates for the nation’s general elections.
The consultation will take place in accordance with Section 57(1) of Elections Act, 2017, which specifies that the president should announce the date or dates of the general elections following consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) (ECP).
President Alvi stated in his letter to the CEC that significant developments had occurred since his letter, dated February 8, including the Lahore High Court (LHC) judgement directing the ECP to announce the date for elections in Punjab without delay and recent remarks of the Supreme Court.
He also complained about the electoral watchdog’s passivity and inaction in not responding to his earlier letter as of yet.
According to the president, he had “waited anxiously that the ECP would recognise its constitutional duties to proceed and act accordingly, but he was deeply saddened by the electoral watchdog’s poignant approach on this vital topic.”
President Alvi reminded the ECP in his letter that he had invited the CEC to an urgent meeting on the subject because he was aware of his constitutional duty to preserve, safeguard, and defend the Constitution.
Earlier this month, the president had urged the electoral watchdog to “immediately announce” the dates for elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab, stressing that the Constitution did not allow for any delays as they would bring “serious long-term setbacks to democracy”.
President Alvi had also highlighted the necessity for putting an end to the “dangerous speculative propaganda” about both the province assembly and general polls.
In a letter to the CEC, the president noted the “relevant articles of the Constitution” after the “dissolution of [the] two provincial assemblies … and consequential elections to be held there”.