British High Commissioner Jane Marriott for ‘free, transparent’ elections in Pakistan
Celina Ali
Islamabad: British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriot this week held an ‘introductory’ meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and called for free and transparent elections in Pakistan.
The British diplomat took to X — formerly known as Twitter — to apprise of the “important” huddle held with the head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad.
“We agreed that it’s crucial the country sees free, credible, transparent and inclusive elections in line with the law,” Marriot wrote on X.
The meeting between the UK envoy and CEC Raja came at a time when the country is awaiting the announcement for the next general polls which, at the moment, remain in limbo owing to the matter of delimitation of constituencies following the digital census held earlier this year.
The date of elections in Pakistan remains a contentious matter, particularly following the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9 by the then-Shehbaz Sharif-led government.
The Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, meanwhile, were also prematurely dissolved to allow the electoral authority to hold elections in the country within 90 days.
Under the law, polls should be held in 60 days if the legislature completes its constitutional tenure, however, the deadline is three months if assemblies are dissolved prematurely.
Furthermore, the general elections in the country are likely to be delayed after the Council of Common Interest (CCI), days before the dissolution of the assemblies, approved the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023.
The move led to concerns from several quarters, including the Pakistan People’s Party, which was part of the coalition government that ratified the census.
According to Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, the seats of the National Assembly to each province and the federal capital shall be allocated on the basis of population as per the new census.
Following CCI’s approval, the ECP on August 17 announced the schedule of new delimitations which exceeded the November 9th 90-day constitutional limit, almost making sure that the elections are likely to be held post the 90-day mark.
