Pakistan’s Presidential Elections to be held on 30 July 2013
Saturday, 27 July 2013 00:00
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold Presidential election on Tuesday, 30 July instead of 6 August.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry including Justice Jawad S. Khawaja and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed heard the petition of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq regarding holding of presidential election early.
The court also directed ECP to change its schedule and issue a revise schedule. The court in its detailed verdict said that the last 10 days of Ramadan are normally the days of extensive spiritual and religious activity/worship and quite a number of the legislators would be in ‘Aitekaf’ or proceed for Umrah to Saudi Arabia during this period. The detailed verdict further stated that earlier date for the Presidential elections on 6 August, fall on one of the last three days of Ramadan, probably on 27th day of Ramadan and this would be too close to Eid-ul-Fitr and many Parliamentarians may like to proceed to their home-towns by then.
In a separate development the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the nomination of Mamnoon Hussein by the Pakistan Muslim League as its presidential candidate, who belongs to Sindh, was aimed at giving smaller federating units their due representation at the federal level.
The Prime Minister expressed these views in a meeting with Balochistan’s Senior Minister Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri and Federal Minister for SAFRON Lt. Gen. Abdul Qadir Baloch at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that election of Mamnoon Hussein as president would serve as a good omen for the people of smaller provinces.
The ministers congratulated the Prime Minister on the nomination of Mamnoon Hussein and hoped that it would prove helpful in strengthening the federation by fostering harmonious relationship among its various institutions.
