SC decision on presidential poll date attack on federation: Rabbani

By
Mamoona Feroz
-
17
170

The Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) presidential candidate, Raza Rabbani, has said the Supreme Court’s decision to change the schedule of the presidential polls was “an attack on the federation”.

PPP leaders remained busy on Thursday as they approached various political parties asking for their support for the party’s presidential candidate.

A delegation of the party, headed by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah, held separate meetings with leaders of the PML-Q, the ANP, the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

Talking to reporters after meeting ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, Rabbani said the SC’s verdict was an attack on the federation as the court had ignored the provincial assemblies.

Rabbani told the reporters that he had been meeting leaders of various political parties to chalk out a strategy on whether to go along with the elections or boycott them.

He said an impression had been given that the electoral college for the presidential poll was only present in Islamabad while “the fact of the matter is that all four provincial assemblies are included in the electoral college”.

Rabbani said the new schedule did not provide enough time for him to carry out a proper campaign, adding that it would be impossible for him to visit all the provincial headquarters and meet the members of parliament.

“I am a presidential candidate but I was not served any notice pertaining to hearing the plea seeking a change in the poll date,” he said.

Rabbani said the SC, on the petition by the PML-N, gave a one-sided decision without hearing the other parties. “The Supreme Court even gave the schedule of the presidential elections,” he added.

Addressing the reporters, Asfandyar said the ANP would support the PPP’s decision if it boycotted the presidential elections.

He asked was it the Supreme Court’s constitutional domain to announce the schedule of the presidential elections? “If the answer is yes then there is no need to have an election commission.”

Meanwhile, after his meeting with Khurshid Shah, Shujaat told reporters that if the opposition parties failed to reach a consensus on the issue, the PML-Q lawmakers would abstain from voting on July 30.

According to a source, the PML-Q leadership urged the opposition leader to set aside their differences and agree on a joint candidate for the presidential elections.

When contacted, PML-Q Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha said his party had decided to support only a joint candidate of the opposition parties.

“We want a joint candidate of the opposition parties. We had made such an effort in 2008 election and we want that a joint candidate should be fielded this time as well,” he said.

Agha confirmed that in case the opposition parties failed to field a joint candidate, his party’s lawmakers would not take part in the election.

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17 COMMENTS

  4. There is nothing more but I will agree with Mr. Rabbani. Unnecessary power and authority is being given to Supreme Court hooligans, and CJ is acting more like a neighborhood tough (dada). Call him Al Capone of Pakistan.

  7. I think the Supreme Court decision is justifiable because in the last ashra of Ramadan, people/ MNAs also go for Aaitekaf & also visit Harmain for praying/ worshiping, hence they couldn't participate in presidential election campaign. I therefore would like to laud the decision of CJ Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. After all, we are Muslim.

    Syed Majid Husainie

      • If u are muslim you can perform your national duty as well. the Praying is your personal problem not a national issue Mir Syed Majid

    • How could they go to Holy land for Aitekaf when most of them are put in jail at the begining of every Ramadan?

  8. While the SC has caused me to raise my eyebrows and ask 'why?', the fact remains that the sooner Zadari's shameful era ends the better

  9. Raza Rabbani has no sense of proportion. Still, he would be an improvement on Zardari.

  10. Rabbani is a late comer in this game of harming federation. Start with Bhutto in Bengal tragic events.

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