Islamabad [Pakistan], April 22 : Rana Sanaullah, the interior minister of Pakistan, reaffirmed on Saturday that he does not anticipate the Punjab elections taking place on May 14 despite the Supreme Court set that date, Geo News reported.
In addition, he said that if the election were held on May 14, nobody would accept the results because it was "absurd" for political groups to agree on the date.
Sanaullah's remarks on the Punjab polls came during a press conference in Faisalabad.
The interior minister alluded to the Supreme Court's ostensible internal rift by saying, "How good would it be if all 15 judges sit down together and issue a unmous verdict."
All political parties in the ongoing lawsuit involving the Punjab elections, including the government and opposition, have promised the supreme court that they will examine the matter on April 26 and update the court the following day, according to a Geo News report.
In a further statement, Rana Sanullah defended himself by saying that no one, including the army, the judiciary, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were ready for the polls to take place in May.
The interior minister expressed his government's reservations about holding the elections separately, saying that it "seems impossible to hold elections in the next few days given the country's current situation," reported Geo News.
Sanaullah further noted that his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has never attempted to avoid holding elections instead taking the "principled" position that they should all take place at the same time, as he took a sharp dig at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan.
He stated that the PTI chairman is not someone who would be open to having discussions and that this approach would lead to disaster for the country.
The deadline for submitting party tickets and receiving symbol allotments for candidates seeking to run in the Punjab Assembly elections was extended by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently on Thursday.
It requested that all political parties see to it that their candidates get tickets within the deadline given.
In a press release, the electoral body said the deadline has been extended to 12 am on April 20, 2023, to facilitate candidates, reported Geo News. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration dissolved the Punjab Assembly on January 14 in an effort to pressure the ruling coalition into holding early general elections.
The elections were originally scheduled for April 30 but were later moved to October 8. However, the Supreme Court stepped in and designated May 14 as election day in an order on April 4.
However, it is still uncertain whether the Punjab polls will be held on May 14 in compliance with the Supreme Court's orders as the federal government has not yet released the funds required for holding the elections.
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