• “We request ECP to announce poll date,” says PPP chairman.
• Nawaz Sharif’s return is PPP ‘long-standing’ demand: Bilawal.
• Asif Ali Zardari tasked with raising issue of “level playing field”.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he will only be able to comment on making “alliances” with other political parties once the election schedule is announced.

Addressing a press conference in Okara on Monday, the former foreign minister yet again demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the poll date so that the party can prepare and commence its election campaign accordingly.

“It is our request to the ECP to announce the election schedule,” the PPP chief said.

In response to a question pertaining to the prospects of political alliances in the upcoming elections, Bilawal accentuated that the issue of alliances can only be addressed once the election schedule is announced.

Expressing his views on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s expected return, Bilawal said: “Mian Sahib’s return has been a long-standing demand of the PPP.”

The ex-foreign minister also categorically refuted the rumours pertaining to the PPP being pushed to the wall.

“The PPP is not being pushed to the wall […] we didn’t even back out from the 2007-8 elections,” the party chairman also said.

With regards to the issue of a “level playing field”, Bilawal said: “Former president Asif Ali Zardari has been tasked with addressing his party’s reservations with regard to the level playing field.”

Separately, Bilawal conveyed his “best wishes” to newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

He also lauded the new CJP’s gesture of inviting his wife, Sarina Isa, on stage during the oath-taking ceremony held in the President’s House on Sunday.

It is pertinent to know that the PPP chief has repeatedly echoed his party’s central executive committee’s (CEC) demand for an “immediate announcement of election date and schedule”.

Last week, following his party’s CEC meeting Bilawal read out the resolution passed by his party that stressed the need for the announcement of the poll date for “dampening down a cycle of chronic political instability”.

Delimitations, controversy around elections

The PML-N-led PDM government dissolved the National Assembly on August 9 while the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies were also prematurely dissolved to allow the electoral authority to hold elections in the country within 90 days instead of 60 days if the legislature completed its constitutional tenure.

If the elections are to be held within the thee 90-day limit, then the polls are due on November 9, 2023.

However, before dissolving the assemblies the coalition government in a Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting had unanimously approved the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023.

Following CCI’s approval, the ECP on August 17 announced the schedule of new delimitations which exceeded the November 9th 90-day constitutional limit, almost making sure that the elections are likely to be held post the 90-day mark.

As per the schedule announced by the ECP:

• September 8 to October 7 — Delimitation of the constituencies to be held across the country.
• October 10 to November 8 — Proposals regarding constituencies to be submitted.
• September 5 to September 7 — A quota of constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies to be allocated.
• August 21 — Constituency committees of four provinces to be established.
• August 31 — Administrative matters related to the constituencies to be completed.
• November 10 to December 9 — ECP to decide on the objections to the constituencies.
• December 14 — Final publication of the delimitation.