PM terms President election letter: The caretaker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were asked to help the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) hold elections in both provinces in a letter from President Dr. Arif Alvi, which was referred to on Sunday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as “a PTI press release,”.
In his response to the President, the premier said that the latter’s letter was partisan in nature, had anti-government sentiments, and did not accurately represent the office’s constitutional position.
He added that the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) on April 3, 2022, was not constitutional.
President Alvi claimed in a letter to PM Shehbaz earlier this week that the ECP had flagrantly disobeyed the Supreme Court’s order dated March 1 by delaying elections for provincial assemblies in order to avoid carrying out his announcement that Punjab elections would take place on April 30.
The Constitution’s Article 46 states that the Prime Minister “shall keep the President informed on all matters of internal and foreign policy and on all legislative proposals the federal government intends to bring before the parliament.” President Alvi also cited this provision.
The letter noted, “It is concerning that the Prime Minister has not engaged in any meaningful dialogue with the President on policy concerns in accordance with the foregoing Article.”
In response, the prime minister added that even in regards to his swearing-in ceremony from the previous year, the president “failed to fulfil his constitutional duties.”
The letter said, “I tried my best to have a good working relationship with you, but on numerous times, you have been actively fighting against the elected constitutional government.”
President Alvi’s Letter on Human Rights Concerns Prompts Response from Pakistani Prime Minister
The prime minister maintained that the President’s letter’s language and tone required him to respond.
In his letter to the prime minister, President Alvi also called the premier’s attention to “glaring abuses of fundamental and human rights,” atrocities committed by the police and other law enforcement officials, and the use of force against the Pakistani people.
Officials, employees, journalists, and members of the media have faced numerous fictitious and baseless cases. Law enforcement officials have searched politicians’ homes and kidnapped people without cause or legal authority.
According to him, such infringements on the fundamental and human rights protected by Article of the Pakistani Constitution as well as restrictions on free speech have damaged Pakistan’s standing in the eyes of the international community and will have a detrimental effect on the country’s democracy in the future.
