Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan is deeply disappointed and unhappy with the President Dr Arif Alvi, Aleema Khan told reporters on Wednesday following a court appearance in Lahore.
Aleema, who was accused in the May 9 riots case, appeared before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), where the court extended her and former finance minister Asad Umar's interim bails until October 16. The judge directed the lawyers to present their final arguments in the Jinnah House attack case.
Following the hearing, Imran's sister while addressing the media stated that her brother’s health conditions were deteriorating. “He has lost a lot of weight. There is no place for him to exercise or walk,” she said, adding that she was worried about his health.
Imran also said that there were "preparations going on to keep him in jail for a longer period in the cypher case", she added.
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Aleema further claimed that the former premier has conveyed a message that no one has approached him for discussions. Furthermore, she conveyed Imran's profound regret and disappointment in President Alvi's "failure to fulfil his constitutional duty of announcing the election date during this crucial time for the nation".
Elections date conundrum
Last month, the PTI's core committee had, in a hard-hitting statement, reminded President Alvi about his constitutional responsibilities, demanding that he should exercise his powers and announce the polls’ date without any further delay.
The core committee stated that if the president – who completed his five-year term on Friday night and was unlikely to leave the office – did not announce the polls date, he would be responsible for the violation of the Constitution and the basic constitutional and democratic rights of the people.
The committee conveyed that announcement of the date for general elections would put an end to the prevailing chaotic and uncertain situation that gripped the country since the “regime change conspiracy” in April 2022.
Read more JIT finds Imran ‘mastermind’ of May 9 riots
The caretaker government has emphasised that only the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) possessed the authority to make such an announcement.
Initially, the president had extended an invitation to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in an attempt to settle on a date.
However, Raja declined the request, dismissing it as a futile exercise and reinforcing that only the ECP possessed the authority to announce the date, citing amendments made in the ECP Act of 2017.
Prior to the amendment to Section 57(1) of the act, Raja had said, the president was required to consult the ECP before appointing a date for the election. However, after the amendment in Section 57, the commission had been empowered to announce the date or dates for the general election, he said.
Read the full story at the express tribune website.
