ISLAMABAD – A petition submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) is urging contempt proceedings against Senators who supported a resolution in the Senate, seeking a postponement of the February 8 elections.
These elections should occur within 90 days of an assembly’s dissolution, but the polls in all five legislative bodies have surpassed their constitutional limit.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab assemblies, dissolved last January, have remained inactive for nearly a year. Similarly, the national, Balochistan, and Sindh assemblies have also exceeded their mandated timelines.
Previously, there were concerns about delays, leading to a petition that prompted the SC to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Arif Alvi to announce a date — February 8. However, despite the court ruling against objections after the announcement of the schedule, the Senate passed a resolution seeking a delay in the elections.
The resolution was moved by Senator Dilawar Khan and approved by 14 senators in a house of 100, sparking criticism from major political parties. In response, Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmed Mirza filed a petition in the SC against Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Senator Dilawar, and other lawmakers, including members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Mirza’s plea implores the court to ensure the February 8 elections take place, highlighting the need for time to fulfill legal requirements preceding the elections. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has presented a resolution in the Senate, calling for elections to proceed as scheduled, expected to be considered in the next session.
