Pakistan People's Party 'only party' that wants timely elections: PPP chief

ISLAMABAD: Amid tensions related to Pakistan general elections, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) claimed that it is the "only" political party in the country that wanted timely elections, Dawn reported.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, "PPP is the country’s only party that wants elections to take place."

He further said how "so-called" political leaders were giving excuses to delay polls. "You must have seen that sometimes a so-called leader comes on screen and says, delimitation has to happen and until then (elections can be delayed). Okay let’s accept delimitation (needs to be done) but that process has been completed so now there should be no issue in giving the date (for polls), Bilawal said.

He also criticised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's concerns over not holding elections in February due to intense winter. “If not delimitation, then sometimes someone begins talking about the weather that ‘it is very cold in February and January so how will we contest elections,’ while others talk about the law and order situation,” Bilawal added.

Earlier on Sunday, the JUI-F chief said that it was not possible to hold general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in January, reported Dawn.

“In January, weather would be harsh in Chitral, Khuzdar, and other parts of KP and Balochistan,” he said. Moreover, earlier this month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that general elections would be conducted in January 2024, however, they did not provide a date. However, the ECP issued a report last week on the preliminary delimitation of constituencies in the wake of the 2023 digital census, according to Dawn.

Bilawal further emphasized that the public should realize who was running away from being held accountable in polls and who was ready to present themselves to answer the voters.

“The PPP will continue its politics and would not rest before securing the notification for an election date,” he asserted.

Reaffirming that the PPP has begun the preparations for upcoming polls, Bilawal said that the PPP was ready to present its ideology and manifesto before the public as a part of its preparations, reported Dawn.

Earlier, noting Bilawal's remarks, PPP's Yousuf Raza Gilani said, "I have read Fazlur Rehman’s statement … apart from him, no one has raised any objections to elections in January." Moreover, the former Prime Minister also said that any party who has reservations about delimitations should raise their concerns with the ECP, according to Dawn.