ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Wednesday asked whether elections had not been delayed in the past beyond the 90-day limit under the Constitution.

Rana Sanaullah Khan made the remarks during a joint session of parliament in which the minister argued against holding general and provincial elections separately. However, he also asserted that the notion the coalition government was “avoiding” polls was “principally wrong” and that it merely wanted them to be held in a transparent manner.

Commenting on the topic of polls, Rana Sanaullah said there were differing opinions on conducting elections, and parliament needed guidance from the government and other institutions in this regard.

“Regarding the 90-day limit in the Constitution, I mentioned that April 30 is beyond that timeframe but have elections not been held after 90 or 60 days in the past?” Rana Sanaullah asked.

The minister said that in the 2008 elections, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved earlier compared to the rest of the provincial legislatures and the National Assembly. “But the KP Assembly election did not take place 30 or 40 days prior.”

He said that polls were postponed after former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and took place after almost five months.

The interior minister said the 1988 elections were delayed by five to six months due to flooding in the country. He called for taking decisions with “wisdom and foresight” as the country was facing a “fitna” (mischief) — an apparent reference to PTI Chief Imran Khan — that desired chaos.

He said free and fair elections were necessary to stop this ‘fitna’, adding that political and economic stability could not be achieved without doing so.

“The current situation is such that after dissolving the assemblies, it is a constitutional obligation to hold elections within 90 days. Although April 30 is beyond that mandate and the constitutional condition is not met if elections are held on April 30,” the minister remarked.

Rana Sanaullah went on to say that the Constitution also stipulated holding “free and fair” elections, adding that it was the electoral watchdog’s responsibility to do so.

Rana Sanaullah said the notion that the government was “avoiding elections” was “principally wrong”, adding that the government only wanted polls to be held in accordance with the Constitution under a caretaker setup for political and economic stability instead of “creating a new crisis”.

The interior minister argued that if any political party came into power in Punjab, it would “reduce the level playing field” for other parties in the general elections.

“Will Punjab not dictate the federal government then? Will that government or party — whether us or someone else — not gain an edge, and won’t the basic constitutional requirement of a free and fair caretaker setup not be violated?”

He said that going ahead with polls in Punjab and KP would set a precedent for provincial elections being held six months before general elections, reducing the latter to a “mere spectacle”.

The interior minister said that elections held at the same time under caretaker setups would provide a “level playing field” to everyone.

Rana Sanaullah also spoke about Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial’s comments from earlier today wherein he said the top court would intervene if there was any ill intention in holding “transparent elections”. The minister said the ECP and the PML-N were gearing up for elections on the chief justice’s orders.

“We can’t think of rejecting your order […] but is it only the responsibility only of parliament and political parties that elections are free and fair?

“If we are expressing this opinion that such an election will bring instability and anarchy, is this opinion not even worth your consideration and reflection?” he asked.

The interior minister also said that parliament needed guidance and awareness regarding the administrative, judicial and political and economic crises in the country.

He also strongly criticised PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party at length for the events of the last few weeks.

The interior minister said parliament would provide guidance on this issue, saying that there was a need for the police and law enforcement agencies to be given powers to control and arrest “armed mobs, terrorists and anarchists”.

Rana Sanaullah sought guidance of the Parliament on a date for holding next general elections in a free and fair manner. He said the country cannot come out of the current economic and political crisis without ensuring free and fair elections.

He opined that elections of the national and all provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously under a caretaker setup as per spirit of the Constitution to ensure transparency and level playing field to all political parties.

The Interior Minister said we know that elections should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies but the polling date for Punjab Assembly announced by the President is April 30, which is also beyond the limit of 90 days.

He further said elections in 1988 and 2008 had been delayed for around six months due to various reasons.

Rana Sanaullah said it should also be kept in view that the Constitution calls for holding general elections under a caretaker setup.

The Interior Minister also sought Parliament's guidance to empower the law enforcement agencies to deal with the armed protesters and gangs of political parties to maintain order.

Expressing solidarity with the people affected by Wednesday's earthquake, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also very concerned over the losses and the government will devise a strategy to compensate the affected citizens.

Meanwhile the ruling coalition kicked off the joint parliamentary session on Wednesday by protesting against former Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, with chants of “Baba Rehmatay, Baba Zehmatay” echoing through Parliament.

Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was chairing the joint sitting as senators from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the meeting, with a majority of opposition members, including PTI lawmakers, also absent from the session.

Members of the ruling coalition protested against the former chief justice after the emergence earlier this week of a purported audio recording of Saqib Nisar allegedly hurling verbal abuses against Maryam Nawaz, the chief organiser of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and daughter of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

The parliament was meeting to take important decisions in connection with an ongoing anti-government campaign by former premier Imran Khan’s party as the country struggles to avert financial default with elections just around the corner.

The joint session comes as the coalition PDM government has vowed to get tough on the PTI, accusing it of acting like a terrorist outfit and attacking state institutions, including the army, judiciary, and law-enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, the Joint sitting of the Parliament has now been adjourned to meet again on Monday at 3:00 PM.