Fawad cautions election watchdog against delaying polls despite SC order ECP should not work as imported govt’s facilitator to defer polls: Farrukh

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders lashed out at the imported government and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for resorting to delaying tactics and lame excuses to defer the provincial assemblies polls in the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which, they said, was tantamount to challenge the apex court because Article 190 bound all executive and judicial authorities throughout Pakistan to act in aid of the Supreme Court. PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and Central Secretary Information Farrukh Habib said that it was the constitutional responsibility of the ECP to hold polls within 90 days rather working as facilitator to the imported government to delay the polls through lame excuses. Fawad Chaudhry said that under Article 190, all executive and judicial authorities throughout Pakistan should act in aid of the Supreme Court and Article 187 gave the great power to the apex court. He said that the ECP should have retreated from its stance or else it would be tantamount to challenge the apex court. Farrukh Habib said that the ECP was using various tactics to escape from fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to conduct elections within stipulated 90 days, which was evident from the fact that the commission filed an appeal against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to announce polls schedule. Moreover, he said that CCPO Lahore Ghulam Mahmood Dogar was transferred by the Chief Election Commissioner on a telephone call. Farrukh Habib stated that the power of transfer did not belong to the individual but to the entire Election Commission. It seemed that the police officers involved in cruelty and brutality on PTI on May 25 were also reinstated on his phone call. He said that the ECP was helping and facilitating PDM government in every possible way so that elections cannot be held. Farrukh Habib said that the Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Fazlur Rehman led imported government broke 50-year inflation record.