Khurram Dastgir: President Alvi’s track record is already questionable

ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Khurram Dastgir has said that President of Pakistan Arif Alvi has categorically deviated from the constitution.

During his appearance on the Power Politics with Adil Abbasi show on HUM News, Dastgir engaged in a discussion prompted by President Alvi’s contentious tweet disowning the signing of the Secret Amendments Bill.

Dastgir said that the constitution doesn’t confer a third alternative upon the President, as he has adopted. The President can either agree with a bill or, if in disagreement, must constitutionally “request” the parliament to revisit the bill—without the power to force a decision. If the parliament reaffirms the bill’s approval, the President’s capacity to obstruct it is curtailed.

Read more: President Alvi has played a dual role, says Attaullah Tarar

He further said that the President Alvi’s social media statements showed his “guilt”. “President cannot ‘invalidate’ legislation that has already passed through the parliamentary process,” he said.

“President Alvi’s track record is already questionable, as he has disregarded the constitution on several occasions. He attempted to modify the National Finance Commission and even sought to influence appointments in the Election Commission. The incident is just another entry in the list of his questionable actions,” the PML-N leader added.

Speaking about the upcoming general elections, Dastgir emphasised the constitutional requirement for elections to be predicated on updated census data. “Every Pakistani has the right to be accurately counted in the census, furthermore, the allocation of assembly seats corresponds to census outcomes,” he said.

Khurram Dastgir stated that the ultimate and constitutional authority over elections rests with the Election Commission, and interim governments mainly assist the commission’s work.

With the upcoming general elections approaching, Dastgir suggested they might be conducted early next year.