Signature of President
ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa directed the attorney general to get signature of President Alvi on the elections date document. CJP also asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to provide minutes of the meeting of the ECP members wherein the date of general elections was finalized.
Justice Isa said that the apex court does not want to leave any gap or lapse in the decision making about the announcement of general elections date.
President of Pakistan and ECP must be onboard in giving the date for polls, he added.
Earlier, the attorney general and ECP presented the record of a meeting between President Alvi and ECP Chief Election Commissioner and members. Documents, however, revealed that the President of Pakistan did not sign any document pertaining to the finalization of elections date.
Therefore, the chief justice has directed attorney general to get signature of President Alvi on the papers involving general elections date.
Earlier, the Chief Election Commissioner, Sikander Sultan Raja, and President Arif Alvi have reached a unanimous decision to hold general elections in the country on February 8, 2024.
This announcement was made by the President’s House in an official statement. President Alvi was informed about the progress made by the top electoral authority regarding constituencies and the election process.
Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Raja recommended February 11 as the election date during a meeting with President Arif Alvi, in response to the Supreme Court’s directive to consult with the President on the election date.
However, initial reports indicated that a consensus could not be reached during their discussion.
It’s worth noting that CEC Raja took action promptly after the Supreme Court’s order to set the election date. He previously presided over a meeting in Islamabad with the secretary and members of the Election Commission.
Earlier, ECP Secretary Umar Hameed, after a hearing in the Supreme Court expressed his intention to consult with the President regarding the general elections on February 11.
Officials from the Election Commission emphasized the necessity of the commission’s meeting before initiating discussions with the President.
During the hearing, the secretary briefed the meeting on the developments during the court proceedings. On the directive of the apex court, attorney general scheduled an appointment between the ECP officials and President Alvi on Thursday afternoon.
