As the time for filing of nomination papers is approaching near, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is trying to get the presidential elections delayed because of various engagements by a number of its parliamentarians.
The party on the other hand is busy in revising names of candidates who would replace President Asif Ali Zardari.
Informed source privy to the PML-N told Pakistan Today on Friday that the party was seeking more time and had vowed to delay the presidential polls to ensure maximum participation of its parliamentarians, as well as attracting support from the other political parties present in parliament.
In accordance with the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the date for filing the nomination papers by the candidates vowing to contest the polls is July 24, the scrutiny of the nomination papers would be done by July 26 and polling will take place by August 6.
A number of newly-elected members of the National Assembly, who won their seats in the by-polls, are likely to miss the elections as they have not taken the oath for their new positions in the National Assembly while among the sitting parliamentarians, numerous MNAs and senators are or will be out of the country to perform umra while a large number will be performing the Islamic ritual of aetikaaf so they would also not be able to become the part of the presidential polls.
It is likely that more than 50 parliamentarians, mostly of the PML-N, are likely to miss the elections due to various reasons.
Because of these issues and directions from the top PML-N leadership, the Ministry of Law, Justice and the Parliamentary Affairs has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan, asking it to alter the schedule for the presidential elections.
Citing these reasons, the ministry has requested the ECP to alter the schedule announced earlier because of the unavailability of a number of parliamentarians.
The letter said the government might face problems in holding the presidential elections per the schedule issued by the ECP, therefore requesting it to delay them.
Meanwhile, the PML-N is also working on a contingency plan that involves attracting the support of other political parties currently present in parliament in case the ECP fails to delay the polls.
In this connection, a meeting of top leadership of the party took place that was chaired by PML-N President and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The source told Pakistan today that during the session, various names were reviewed by the PML-N top brass as the candidates for the president of the country.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Justice (r) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, Mamnoon Hussain, Iqbal Zafar Jhagrra, Mehtab Khan Abbasi and Ghaus Ali Shah were among those names.
Nawaz also directed the party leaders to contact other political parties present in both Houses of parliament and seek their support for the PML-N candidates.
He also formed a task force for the purpose that includes Nisar Ali Khan, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Saad Rafique and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
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