ISLAMABAD 26 Mar (Online): The country’s topmost figureheads were the latest to add to the country’s unending political controversies as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday termed President Dr Arif Alvi’s letter to the premier seeking provincial elections ‘a PTI press release’.
President Alvi had written a letter to PM Shehbaz on Friday emphasising that he should direct all the executive authorities concerned with federal and provincial governments to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) within the constitutional timeframe.
In his response to the president today, the premier said that his letter is “partisan” in nature, contains “anti-government views”, and does not reflect the constitutional position of the office.
Blasting the president for his “partisan manner”, PM Shehbaz listed down “several occasions” where Alvi was “in violation of his oath,” including the presidential orders seeking dissolution of the National Assembly in April last year.
The premier also said that despite the president “undermining a constitutionally elected government” he had “made all-out efforts to maintain a good working relationship” with Dr Alvi.
Expressing displeasure at the “tone and language” of the letter penned by the president, the PM said he had been “compelled” to submit a befitting response.
At one point, Shehbaz went as far as to point out that “the constitution does not vest any powers in or assigns any functions of the President whereby the President can seek an explanation from the government or the prime minister. The reason I am responding to your letter is because I want to bring your partisan attitude and actions on record and to set the record straight”.
“Categorically” dismissing allegations of “violations of fundamental and human rights of politicians and political workers” of the PTI, PM Shehbaz stressed that “the substantive and procedural due process guaranteed under the Constitution, under Article 4 and 10A, is being afforded to all”.
The PM also regretted that the president had failed to note the PTI’s unlawful and unprecedented “aggressive, rather militant acts” due to his “party allegiance”.
He also rubbished claims of curbs against freedom of speech under the present regime, claiming they were “subject only to reasonable restrictions” and regretted that the president never showed a similar concern for said matter during Imran Khan’s term in office.
Citing reports published by international watchdogs and media outlets like Human Rights Watch and Aljazeera, the premier stressed that political persecution, human rights abuses and curtailment of press freedoms were far worse under the PTI regime.
Turning towards the issue of elections in Punjab and K-P, PM Shehbaz pointed out that the president has “not raised any concerns on the malafide dissolution of the provincial assemblies of the two provinces, that too at the behest of and to satisfy the ego of the Chairman PTI”.
The letter also brought to Alvi’s attention the “constitutional distortion” that “organising free and fair [general] elections […] may not be possible with elected provincial governments in Punjab and K-P”.
Shehbaz defended the ECP’s decision to postpone the elections in both provinces as being rooted in “the ground realities”.
He also termed Alvi’s insistence that there ought to be a meaningful consultation between the president and the PM as being “out of place” and reminded him that he was in fact bound by the constitution to “act on and in accordance with the advice of the cabinet or the PM”.
“Nothing else in the constitution requires the PM to consult the president on the exercise of executive authority by the federal government,” Shehbaz said adding that he was “fully aware” of his duties and to “preserve, protect and defend the constitution”.
“I want to further assure you that our government will thwart any efforts to undermine the constitutionally elected government,” the letter stated.
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