Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has urged the federal government to implement the Supreme Court’s decision to hold elections in Punjab. Additionally, he issued a warning that there would be consequences if the elections were not held on time.
Khan urged the entire nation to get ready for the approaching elections in his resounding speech. Prepare yourself, he yelled. He exhorted the populace to defend their rights. He cautioned that failure to do so would leave a mark on history that would be challenging to remove.
Speaking through video link to his supporters, Khan stressed the value of supporting the court’s decision. ‘Youm-e-Tashakkur’ [thanks giving] was celebrated by the PTI in honour of the Supreme Court’s decision mandating the holding of elections in Punjab.
Khan was adamant that the PTI will not put up with any meddling in the democratic process.
A three-member bench of the top court unanimously found the poll Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) order to delay the poll in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa “unconstitutional”.
The electoral board was also instructed to hold a provincial poll on May 14 by the three-judge panel, which also included Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan under the direction of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.
Originally slated to take place on April 30, the election in Punjab was postponed by the ECP until October 8 due to a recurrence of terrorist attacks, a lack of security personnel, and an unprecedented economic crisis.
Following the ruling, the election commission announced that the election will take place on May 14 and that the halted voting process would restart on April 10.
The federal cabinet and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have all unanimously rejected the judgement and are preparing to introduce a motion in parliament opposing it.
PM Shehbaz stated that the fate of the country was being decided with unusual decisions while speaking to the leadership of the coalition parties earlier today in Islamabad.
Such disregard for the Constitution and the law, he claimed, had never been seen before, and “such a terrible scene has never met [his] eyes.”
Khan, who was dismissed as prime minister last April, feels that the coalition allies are “running away” from the polls because they “are well aware of their impending defeat.”
The former prime minister reiterated his call for holding the powerful individuals in the nation accountable for leading the country out of the economic crisis.
“Bringing the wealthy and powerful under the law would be the largest reform. Investment would flood into Pakistan once the rule of law is established, according to the PTI leader.
Khan, who has emphasised involving Pakistanis living abroad, claimed that if the overseas Pakistanis were given guarantees that their investments would be safe, they would start making investments and the country’s cash shortage would be resolved.
The South Asian country is enduring one of its most severe economic crises, contending with a wide range of problems including external loans, historically high inflation, and weak growth prospects.
The currency is at an all-time low of Rs287.85 against the dollar, and the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves are just enough for less than a month’s worth of imports.
