Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has hinted at the possibility of extending the term of caretaker governments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.
Tarar stated in Parliament that the Constitution allows for an extension in the tenure of caretaker setup in case of law and order or economic issues.
He cited past examples of election delays due to floods in 1988 and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, which resulted in a change of election dates.
Tarar mentioned that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will look into issues such as election expenses and census within the Constitution’s provisions.
The final decision regarding the date of the election will be made by the commission and will be based on the Constitution and the Election Act, he said.
He added that it is too soon to say which census should be used in the election while mentioning that last time, a constitutional amendment was done in Article 51 to hold elections on old census. Tarar noted that the new census has been announced.
Regarding the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), who was nominated by ex-prime minister Imran Khan; Tarar stated that if the commission’s decisions were unfavorable to Khan’s party, it was not anyone’s fault.
He also spoke about Mohsin Naqvi’s appointment as caretaker chief minister of Punjab, stating that if Khan thinks the CM will take directions, it goes against the spirit of the Constitution.
Tarar also discussed the case against PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, which was filed on the ECP’s secretary application.
He said that the courts are independent and will make a decision on the case.
