Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has asked the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to be a part of a meeting where he and his team members could brief him on the law order situation.
"We have witnessed violence and bloodshed by antisocial elements in the entire country and especially Punjab in last few days," Naqvi said in a letter addressed to CEC.
He highlighted that many important government buildings were targeted, attacked and set ablaze. These violent incidents not only caused huge financial losses to public and private property but also resulted in serious injuries to many LEA personnel.
Punjab government, the caretaker CM maintained, is committed to taking all measures to avert any such future misadventure by the elements.
"Along with my team, I would like to brief you and members of the Commission regarding current law and order situation in the province and steps taken by the provincial government in this regard as per your convenience at the earliest," CM Naqvi writes to CEC.
Earlier today, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the ruling PDM coalition and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to continue negotiations.
The CJ made the statement while presiding over a three-person bench that included Justices Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar. The court was hearing the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) plea to reconsider the April 4 ruling.
It is pertinent to mention here that on April 4, the same bench declared that the ECP's intention to hold elections on October 8 as "illegal".
Instead of following the order, the ECP petitioned the highest court to examine its guidelines. It has maintained the stance that it's unable to hold elections in the current circumstances in view of the law and order situation and the economic crisis, and now CM Naqvi writes to CEC.
The top electoral authority wants the polls across the country to be held concurrently, so as to manage the finances better.
The writer is a senior correspondent at The Friday Times with a focus on politics, economy and militancy. He also hosts the Hassan Naqvi Show on Naya Daur.
