Quetta (May 30, 2018): Balochistan Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution seeking a one-month delay in the upcoming general elections in the province.
Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo said that the resolution is being misinterpreted by certain quarters and that they were only requesting the federation for a one-month delay in elections.
“Every eligible Pakistani should have the right to cast his vote. We don’t even know about our constituencies yet,” he said.
Last week, President Mamnoon Hussain approved a summary sent by the Election Commission of Pakistan for the general elections to be held on July 25, 2018.
The incumbent governments in the centre, Balochistan and Punjab are set to complete their five-year term on May 31. The caretaker government in the centre, under the leadership of Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk, will then take over to ensure a smooth transition of power after the elections.
Following the adoption of the resolution, the session of the Balochistan Assembly was adjourned until 3pm on Thursday.
The resolution, moved by Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, demanded that the elections should be held in August, instead of July this year, because “a majority of the public wants to undertake Hajj for which [many] would be travelling to Saudi Arabia in July” and hence, they would be unable to vote in the elections.
The resolution also expresses concern that the province receives monsoon downpours during the month of July, due to which many districts face flooding and a lot of residents are forced to move to other areas for shelter. Such a situation would deprive these people of the opportunity to vote, it states.
Keeping these concerns in mind, the provincial government is therefore requested to ask the federal government to instead hold the elections in the last week of August so that everyone can exercise their constitutional right to vote, the resolution adds.
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