In a Senate session on Friday, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani presided over the proceedings. Members of the upper house welcomed the announcement of the general election date. The treasury side defended the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for their decision to conduct delimitation of electoral constituencies before announcing the polls.
Opposition Leader Shehzad Wasim characterized Thursday as a historic day during the session. He highlighted the consensus between President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on holding the next general election on February 8. The CEC’s visit to the president followed the Supreme Court’s instructions.
Wasim stressed the importance of adhering to constitutional provisions, emphasizing that elections should have been held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies. He urged an end to the debate regarding who has the authority to set the election date, emphasizing that the decision is now in the hands of the people.
In a separate matter, Senator Mohsin Aziz raised concerns about a significant gas tariff hike in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where rates increased from Rs1,100 to Rs2,600, representing a more than 130% surge.
Leader of the house and former finance minister Ishaq Dar defended the delay in calling the elections during the Senate session. He cited the constitutional requirement for the ECP to re-demarcate constituencies after the approval and notification of the digital census. He acknowledged the desire for elections within 90 days but emphasized the importance of following all constitutional provisions, including constituency delimitation after the new census.
Dar also disclosed budget allocation details during his tenure as finance minister, mentioning that the ECP was allocated Rs46 billion out of the Rs54 billion requested, with an additional Rs16 billion needed. He cited constraints due to the country’s participation in the IMF program and noted the National Assembly’s resolution that halted further allocation.
During the Senate session, Senator Fida Muhammad pointed out a lack of quorum, leading to the adjournment of the session until Monday.
