LAHORE: Ahsan Iqbal, leader of the PML-N party, called the PTI’s alleged attempts to sabotage the upcoming polls by meddling in the appointments of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) a “heinous conspiracy against democracy” on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Model Town, Ahsan Iqbal said that Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister, was planning a “suicide attack” on the election process to avoid going to the polls.
“PTI’s attempt to change the appointments of ROs and DROs is a clear attempt to sabotage the elections,” he said, stressing that PTI should not be able to get around the political process.
He said that the PTI was using the courts to further its political goals. He told us, “PTI’s targeting of the ROs suggests an ulterior motive to postpone the elections.”
After the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to stop the training session for ROs and DROs, things took a big turn for the worse. This is what the PML-N did.
The move made people wonder if it would be possible to hold the elections on February 8.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) told the ECP what to do, which briefly stopped the electoral body’s notification about the appointment of ROs and DROs from the ranks of the bureaucracy.
This court action, which was sparked by a petition from the PTI, seemed to stop the election process completely, making many political parties nervous about what would happen with the upcoming general elections.
Iqbal asked the top election commissioner to step in and make sure the elections happen on time because he was worried about what the PTI was doing to delay them. “The people want an elected government to take care of their problems.”
“The election must go ahead as planned so that the democratic government can deal with the problems that the people are facing,” he demanded, calling the PTI’s plans “evasions” meant to avoid losing the election.
Iqbal pointed out that all political parties agreed that the election would happen on February 8. He also talked about how the PML-N was getting ready in line with what the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court had said should be done.
He also said that the former head of the PTI caused chaos and disorder after the vote of no-confidence that got rid of his government.
“By dismantling both the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, PTI orchestrated an assault on democracy,” he stated.
When asked about what happened on May 9, Iqbal said that there was a plot to cause trouble in the country and supposedly target the military.
He said that PTI was running a foreign campaign to hurt national security institutions. He called this a threat to the country’s stability and constitutional integrity. The PTI is “against elections”:
PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza said on Saturday that the PTI doesn’t want to run for office because most of its candidates are either on the run or have left the party. He also said that the party would still hold elections on February 8.
He was confused by the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) move to block the planned elections for February 8, saying that the Supreme Court had already set that date for the elections.
In a statement, the leader of the PPP said, “It would be regrettable if the decision to stop elections because of the deployment of returning officers (ROs) was made.”
It caused worry when the Election Commission of Pakistan abruptly ended a three-day training session for returning officers, only a few hours after it had begun.
The move was put on hold after the Lahore High Court stopped the ECP from sending out notices about the appointments of ROs and DROs from within the government.
The PTI filed a lawsuit challenging the choice of bureaucratic officials as DROs and ROs for the upcoming elections. This led to the court’s involvement, which seemed to stop the election process.
Hassan Murtaza condemned the moves of the PTI and reaffirmed the PPP’s promise to hold elections on February 8.
He pushed for the election date to be made public right away, stressing the need to face the problem head-on, without any excuses or delays.
“We need to deal with the problem right away and stop making excuses,” he said, praising the PPP’s opposition to the Lahore High Court’s ruling.
He said that the PPP is dedicated to making sure that the election process goes smoothly and without any problems.
