LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Thursday that the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to defer Punjab polls was in the interest of the country. She was talking about the ECP’s postponing of general elections in Punjab province due to security concerns. “The ECP took the decision keeping in view the economic, political and security situation of the country,” the information minister stated.

“Under Article 218 of the Constitution, the ECP has to ensure that transparent, impartial and fair elections are held,” she pointed out. “Article 224 requires that there are caretaker governments in the federal and provincial units at the time of elections,” she added. “The ECP took this decision after consulting all the stakeholders. If the National Assembly election is held, governments will be established in two provinces. If the elections were held in two provinces on April 30, they would become controversial forever,” she emphasized.

“If the elections were held on April 30, the assemblies would have ended six months earlier in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The ECP has saved the country from a major constitutional crisis with its decision,” she added. “There were reservations that elections are being imposed on two provinces because of one man’s ego. [But] the ECP’s decision will guarantee political stability in the country,” she maintained. “The census is going on in the country. The Constitution cannot work on the will of one person. It won’t work now that he breaks the Constitution whenever he wants and breaks the assembly whenever he wants,” she took a veiled dig at former premier Imran Khan.

“It won’t work now that he bruises the policemen’s heads, attack the election commission, storm the court, and demands the elections and court decisions of his choice,” she added.