The much-anticipated declaration from the electoral oversight authority appears to have dispelled the political uncertainty surrounding the election timing and reignited hopes for political and economic stability.
However, while it has provided some clarity, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has refrained from specifying the exact date of the elections, leaving room for speculation.
As a result, while the interim government and some political parties have embraced the ECP's announcement, the PTI, the former ruling party, has expressed reservations about the decision.
The PTI has raised questions about why the ECP has designated the polling month instead of a specific polling day and why the elections are scheduled beyond the 90-day constitutional limit. This concern arises especially since there is an ongoing case in the Supreme Court seeking elections within 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies.
In a statement, a PTI spokesperson asserted that the nation would not accept any election date beyond the constitutionally defined 90-day timeframe. Any date set for January would inherently exceed this constitutionally established deadline and, consequently, be deemed unconstitutional.
The ECP's primary responsibility is to conduct impartial, free, and fair elections within the constitutionally prescribed timeframe, and timely elections are the sole means to guide the nation out of its current crises, the spokesperson added.
The National Assembly was dissolved on August 9, shortly before the completion of its five-year term. According to the Constitution, elections must take place within 90 days following the dissolution of a legislature. Hence, elections should ideally occur in the second week of November.
Scheduling general elections for the last week of January would constitute a breach of the constitutional timeframe.
However, it's worth noting that general elections were not held within this 90-day timeframe in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) when their legislatures were dissolved in January.
On January 14, the PTI, which governed these two provinces, dissolved both provincial assemblies with the hope of pressuring the PML-N-led federal government into calling snap elections. However, this move only exacerbated the already tense political atmosphere.
Caretaker Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi welcomed the ECP's announcement regarding the elections, asserting that it was a day of disappointment for those who had spread rumors. He expressed satisfaction that the elections would be held in accordance with the Constitution, emphasizing that this would
