SUKKUR: A single party forming its government at the Centre after the Feb 8 general elections is highly unlikely, says veteran Pakistan Peoples Party leader and a former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, predicting that there could be at least three parties to form a coalition.

Mr Shah was speaking to the media after attending hearing of a mega corruption case against him, some of his family members and associates in the Sukkur Accountability Court.

He also ruled out possibility of postponement of the Feb 8 elections, and remarked: “The will be held even if the United Nations passes a resolution to postpone them”.

He said it was a constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan and all relevant national institutions to conducting free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

He warned that the country would suffer a lot if fair elections were not held on the fixed date.

Says PTI could not properly pursue its case for ‘bat’ in court battle

He said he and his party (PPP) were pleased to see that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had finally launched its election campaign. He guessed that the PML-N might have been waiting for SC’s verdict on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s petition for the latter’s electoral symbol ‘bat’.

“But we want a level-playing field for everyone,” Mr Shah said, and advised the PTI to contest the elections even after being denied its symbol.

The senior PPP leader was of the view that PTI could not pursue its case properly; its methodology for the intra-party election was also not correct.

Filing of nomination papers, withdrawal of candidature and election all on the same day could not be regarded as free, fair and acceptable to all, he explained while commenting on PTI’s intra-party election.

Mr Shah said the process should take a week or so in order to allow candidates one or more days for the filing of nomination papers, their withdrawal and campaigning for the contest. Such a schedule has to be followed even a candidate has no challenger, according to him.

The PTI did not follow the procedure and that’s why it lost its case, he observed.

He said that if one managed to enter the power corridors from the back door, this would be bad for both politics and one’s party, he said, and wondered that how could such a party be able to serve the masses and get them their due rights.

He observed that an electoral alliance against PPP had emerged this time again, and noted that it could not even find candidates.

“I don’t know who [from the alliance] will be my rival, who will be contesting against Nauman Islam Sheikh in Sukkur and who will be challenging PPP candidates in Khairpur,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2024