Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, has stated that he does not anticipate elections.
Don’t see elections happening Aitzaz Ahsan: Ahsan explained in an exclusive interview with Asma Shirazi that the issue had become so convoluted as a result of the census’s approval that there was no assembly to enact a constitutional amendment for seat reallocation because the assembly had been dissolved.
He did note that elections without seat reallocation would always be contentious, creating a “chicken and egg” conundrum.
Ahsan added that because there is no electoral college to elect the president, the situation is also confusing.
Ahsan responded that the agreement did not commit to delaying elections when asked why PPP was objecting to it because it had accepted to the new census results.
He claimed that according to the constitution, elections must take place within 90 days, making it impossible to use the delimitations as a justification for their postponement.
According to Ahsan, the phrasing in the constitution, which states “no later than 90 days,” doesn’t just specify a timeframe, but actually imposes a mandate to ensure resolution within that time period.
In addition, he blamed the chief election commissioner, claiming that he had compounded matters by failing to organise elections within the required 90 days.
No matter who the president was, according to Ahsan, the CEC did not have the authority to turn down an invitation to a meeting. He claimed that it was possible to respectfully inform the president of the limitations that new legislation had placed on him.
He did, however, add that it was ‘absolutely erroneous’ to claim that the CEC had to publish the election date in order to use modifications in the election delay.
The election law reforms and any other laws that were in contravention of the constitution, according to Ahsan, could not take effect.
What happens if elections don’t?
Ahsan asserted that due to the chief electoral commissioner, Pakistan had reached a deadlock. Among friends, he also joked, suggesting the need to establish a new Movement for the Restoration of Democracy.
When aske whether the movement would encompass PTI, Aitzaz respond that in Pakistan, “nothing can be predict except the past.”
The release of Imran on May 9
Aitzaz Ahsan contended that releasing Imran Khan appeared improbable. He point out that the sentence should have been suspend immediately after the first day without any prior warning. Furthermore, he claime that the decision had been held in reserve, an aspect he found to be unusual.
Continuing to argue, he emphasized that the cypher case against Imran Khan was “absolutely senseless” because a chief executive could decide whether to make a classified document public.
He declared that the May 9 events had wrecked politics. According to him, there will never be closure on the events of May 9 and even if they are forgotten, they will be forgotten alive till the IG of Punjab is able to explain why 18 locations in the province were assaulted while his employees did nothing. The colonels in Lahore who had not retaliated against the attack on the Corps Commander House received the identical statement from him.
Conflicts within the party
Disagreeing with the assertion, Aitzaz Ahsan state that he had not been recently summon to attend the PPP Central Executive Committee meeting. He continued by saying that he had consistently received invitations to the meetings and that, when attending in person wasn’t possible, he had done so through Zoom.
Ahsan responded that people try to make something out of anything and that he had no issues with the PPP when asked what caused the rumours about his disagreements with the party.
However, he added that Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, had been a long-time friend and neighbor. He mentioned that he had visited Imran Khan on two occasions: during the overthrow of his administration and when he faced an attack.
Ahsan continued by saying that despite not frequently running with Imran, neither Bilawal Bhutto Zardari nor Asif Ali Zardari had ever inquired about it.
He said that he was the target of a group within the PPP’s Lahore chapter.