PPP backs PTI's demand for elections in 90 days in Punjab, KP

• PPP's Faisal Kundi wants polls in KP, Punjab within 90 days.
• Says coalition allies should follow law and Constitution.
• Elections were held despite Benazir's tragic martyrdom, says Kundi.

Key ally of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has backed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) call for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days as per the constitution.

The PTIled by Imran Khan dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of efforts to get a date for the general elections in the country. It's the primary demand of the PTI since Khan was ousted in April last year through a vote of no-confidence.

“It’s been 25 days and no date for the election has been given. Article 6 will be applied to those who postpone the elections beyond the Constitutional term,” Khan had said in his televised address to the nation on February 6.

Khan also highlighted that his party decided to dissolve the two assemblies as the country was going through instability. “Governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dissolved under the Constitution,” he added.

Speaking during Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath"on Thursday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi seconded Khan's demand for elections, saying, "The PPP will ask the allies to follow what is in the law and the Constitution."

The SAPM noted that the elections were heldin the country despite the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The PPP leader also raised a question about why the PTI did not conduct local body elections while they were in government in Punjab.

Kundi alleged that the PTI used the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the purpose of political victimisation of opponents and political engineering. He claimed that the PTI lodged false cases against the leaders of political parties but was unable to provide any evidence against them before the courts during their tenure.

The SAPM asserted that the PPP leadership did not believe in any political victimisation and never used the NAB or any other institution for unleashing political vendetta against opponents.

Responding to a query about elections, Kundi said that the governor only needed to provide recommendations, while it was the duty of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the date of the elections.

He underscored the need for elections to be conducted in accordance with the Constitution. He called on the ECP to put plans in place for holding transparent elections across the country.