Daily Times

Former provincial president PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan has called for simultaneous National and provincial assembly elections in the country.

Talking to APP on Thursday, the PPP stalwart said that due to the peculiar situation, there is a need for settlement of some issues before the general elections. He said that PPP Co-Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari had also favoured the same-day simultaneous elections across the country.

He said that the PPP leadership had also explained the reasons behind holding simultaneous polls that how it would be possible to hold free and fair elections under the supervision of a politically elected provincial government.

In case, going for the elections of only provincial assemblies in two provinces will create a political crisis and holding free, fair and transparent elections for the National Assembly will become impossible.

Furthermore, he said that separate polling of the provincial and National Assemblies will increase the cost of elections, which is not suitable in the prevailing situation of the country. Therefore, he said the leadership of PPP is advocating for simultaneous polls in the country.

To a question regarding the role of the establishment, he said that every constitutional institution has its due role to play and their working within their constitutional ambit could guarantee free and fair elections in the country. He termed the stance of the establishment during the current situation as welcoming for the future of the country.

He said that this time, the establishment has clarified in unequivocal terms that they are with the people and constitution of Pakistan and will play their role within the constitutional ambit and will not interfere in political matters.

The PPP stalwart said that politicians should set aside their political interests to give priority to national interests over their personal interests. But, unfortunately, he said some politicians are not behaving in a responsible manner. He said that any politician, who takes an oath of public office solemnizes that he will not utilize national secrets for the promotion of his personal interests.

He said that the PPP chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had assumed the reign of power in a very odd political situation and there were many national secrets in his chest, but he had never disclosed them even at the time when he was given capital punishment and the judges who have sentenced him to death have also declared his punishment tantamount to judicial murder.

He said that today despite the deteriorating political and economic situation, the leader of a political party is disclosing national secrets and spreading anarchy and uncertainty to promote his personal political agenda without showing any concern for the national losses due to his behaviour.

Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan has said that the party is emerging as a top popular political party as several influential political families are sitting to join it soon. He said that PPP believes in negotiations and will welcome any serious move for the resolution of the prevailing political stalemate.