ISLAMABAD: In his response to a letter sent by President Dr Arif Alvi two days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday rebuked Alvi for his ‘one-sided, anti-government views’, saying that his letter was “blatantly partisan” and appeared to be “a press release of the opposition political party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI).”
President Alvi, in a letter on Friday, asked the PM to direct federal and provincial authorities to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per the orders of the Supreme Court to “avoid further complications”.
The president also highlighted the “use of disproportionate force” by authorities against politicians, political workers, and journalists.
In a five-page response today, the premier highlighted a number of occasions where, according to him, President Alvi violated his oath including ordering the dissolution of the National Assembly on April 3 and failing to discharge his constitutional duty upon PM Shehbaz’s election as the prime minister.
The premier said that the due process under articles 4 (Right of individuals to be dealt with in accordance with law, etc) and 10A (Right to a fair trial) of the Constitution was being afforded to everyone. He said all the actions taken by the law enforcement agencies were in accordance with the law.
The PM said that what had really ‘tarnished the image of Pakistan in the international community’ and ‘was casting negative repercussions on the future of democracy and state of human rights’ the country was PTI’s complete disregard of the laws and the Constitution.
He stated that the president had not once remarked over the conduct of ex-premier Imran Khan for his “aggressive, rather militant, attitude of a political order in complete defiance of court orders”.
Moreover, the prime minister stated that his government had ensured complete freedom of speech and expression as enshrined under Article 19 of the Constitution, subject on to “reasonable restrictions”.
The letter further stated “regrettably again, you never raised your voice or shared your concerns in the manner that you have in your letter, in the past while the PTI was in power.”
The prime minister also quoted several media reports detailing the previous government’s clampdown on media, adding that the National Commission for Human Rights was kept “dysfunctional” during PTI’s tenure.
He added that the President did not pay attention to these reports of international human rights organisations, which detailed the previous government’s poor track record with regard to severe violations of human rights and the fundamental rights of Pakistani citizens.
PM Shehbaz Rebukes President for ‘One-Sided, Anti-Govt’ ViewsPM calls out president for silence over ‘human rights violations’ under PTI’s tenure
The prime minister further highlighted what he called the “oppression” of his party when PTI was in power. He also said that President Alvi gave dates for elections in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies “at the behest of the PTI” but refrained from raising any concerns about the “malafide” dissolution of the provincial assemblies.
The letter further noted that the president also did not take note of the effect of conducting polls in Punjab and KP before the National Assembly elections.
Referring to ECP’s announcement of October 8, 2023, as the new date for the polls in Punjab, PM Shehbaz said that the electoral body took this decision after taking into account the ground realities. He said all federal and provincial governmental authorities furnished the relevant information to the ECP in this regard.
“Being the constitutional body charged with the duty to organize and conduct elections, it is ultimately the ECP’s decision to assess whether the circumstances are conducive for organising and conducting free and fair elections, as required under clause (3) of Article 218,” the PM added.
The premier pointed out that President Alvi did not object to ‘a rather aggressive attitude’ and the language of the ex-government’s federal ministers, who persistently attempted to undermine the authority and credibility of the ECP,” the PM noted.
The prime minister further stated that the president’s reference with regard to meaningful consultation between the two was “out of place”.
He stated that, in the exercise of his functions, the president was bound to act on and in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister under clause (1) of Article 48.
PM Shehbaz concluded the letter by stating that he was “fully aware” of his duties and asserted that his government was “fully committed to preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution”.
However, he added, the government was also determined to ensure that “no one is allowed to violate the law, create unrest and attempt to cause irreparable harm to the state of Pakistan.”
The prime minister added “I want to further assure you that our government will thwart any effort to undermine the constitutionally elected government.”
