• PPP ready for elections whenever held, says Bilawal.
• Asks party workers to start preparing for polls. 
• Top court, in Wednesday verdict, orders ECP to give election date.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that his party was psyched up to participate in the upcoming elections, whether they are held within the next three months or at a later date. However, he highlighted the importance of understanding the essence of the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court.

The PPP chief’s remarks came hours after the country’s top court ruled on Wednesday that elections for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab assemblies should be held within 90 days of their dissolution. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial announced the three-two majority verdict in the suo motu case.

“The PPP is always ready for elections, whether they take place within three months or afterwards,” he said, speaking in a meeting with party leaders in Lahore on Wednesday.

In a televised address on the same day, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also directed the party’s leaders and workers to kick-start preparations for the elections from March 4. 

“After the verdict, we ended the ‘Jail Bharo’ [court arrest] movement. We are starting the election campaign on Saturday,” the PTI chief said during an address via video link from Lahore.

The PPP’s chief called on his party’s organisations to gear up for the upcoming elections. The candidate that performs better than what he/she did before will receive the ticket, he noted, asserting that the party’s parliamentary board would make the final decision in this regard.

He also directed that the paper work of candidates for the national and provincial assemblies’ seats be completed within one week.

SC issues directives for polls in Punjab, KP

Bilawal’s call for his party to get electoral campaigning off the ground has set the tone for elections in the country following the SC’s order to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult President Dr Arif Alvi to fix a date of general elections to the Punjab assembly.

On elections in KP, the verdict directs the governor announce a date for the polls after consulting the ECP.

The top court ruled that one thing that was “absolutely crucial is the timeframe” for the polls. It added that the Constitution envisages two periods for holding polls — 60 days in case the assembly is dissolved after its term is completed and 90 days in case the assembly is dissolved before the expiry of its term.

The verdict also directed the federal government to ensure that the polls are carried out as per the Constitution.