The issue of the election date once again landed in the Supreme Court as a petition was filed in the apex court on Saturday seeking contempt proceedings against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and senators involved in passing a resolution that called for a delay in the polls - slated for February 8 this year.

The petition was filed by lawyer Ishtiaque Ahmed Mirza soon after the Senate Secretariat asked the country’s top electoral authority to immediately change the election schedule.

It is pertinent to mention that the Senate secretary wrote a letter to the ECP a day after the Upper House of Parliament passed a resolution calling for a delay in general elections, sources said.

They added that a copy of the resolution has been sent to the president, interim prime minister, the Election Commission of Pakistan, law ministry, and other departments concerned.

The non-binding resolution was adopted by the Senate on Friday. It called for the February 8 polls to be delayed, however, an interim minister and parties across the political spectrum rejected it.

“I was not empowered by the federal cabinet to support the resolution. The government is standing behind the Election Commission of holding elections on February 8,” caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi told Shaukat Piracha on his show Rubaroo on Friday.

The resolution, moved by Senator Dilawar Khan from KP, was approved with a majority vote. It argued that the law and order situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not suitable for holding elections.

Senator Mushtaq moves resolution calling for timely elections

Earlier today, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan moved a fresh resolution calling for elections to be held as per schedule.

The resolution stated that it was the responsibility of the ECP and the caretaker government to hold timely elections.

It went on to add that the recently passed resolution calling for a delay in the polls is “undemocratic and unconstitutional”.

Political parties reject resolution calling for delay in elections

The Senate resolution, seeking a delay in the elections, was rejected by leaders of almost all political parties as they called for holding elections on the date announced by the ECP.

“A resolution of 14 senators based on their personal opinions, has no legal or binding force in the constitutional process of holding general elections,” PTI’s Barrister Gohar Khan said in a post.

Elections will be held on Feb 8 even if UN passes resolution: Bilawal

Earlier today, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the polls will be held as per schedule even if the United Nations (UN) or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) passed a resolution against it.

The ECP has issued a schedule for the polls on February 8 and the polls will be held on the same date, he said during a press conference in Lahore on Saturday.

Marriyum Aurangzeb claims PTI behind Senate resolution

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that PTI was behind the resolution under a well-thought-out plan.

“Elections will be on February 8 [even if] other parties cry or shout,” she said while talking to media outside a court in Lahore.

Aurangzeb went on to add that her party was the only one that opposed the resolution.

A day earlier at a press conference, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman clarified that the party wanted timely elections.

“Senator Tangi has informed the party that he had opposed the resolution,” she said, “but still, we would look into things like video clips and other evidence to assess the factual situation. If his stance is not found to be satisfactory, then definitely we would seek an explanation from him.”