President Arif Alvi has asked the Chief Election Commissioner to announce election dates for provincial assemblies in Punjab and KP immediately.

The President has written a letter to the commissioner, stressing that Article 224 of the constitution says that elections must be held within 90 days of an assembly’s dissolution.

The election date is supposed to be set by the governors of the provinces. The Election Commission has already written to the governors regarding the matter. However, both governors, in similar replies, have told the commission that it should ‘consult’ law enforcement agencies before elections are organised.

“It is my constitutional responsibility to remind the CEC and Members of the Commission about their fundamental duty as per their Oath,” the president wrote in the letter.

He also added that the reasons being provided for the delay of the elections do not seem strong enough to warrant a delay.

“I am of the firm view that there are no such circumstances as may furnish any justification for delaying or postponing of elections,” he wrote.

He also wrote that announcing elections imemdiately would “put an end to such dangerous speculative propaganda for these and future general elections.”