Former prime minister Imran Khan wants to delay the general elections until October 2024. Until then, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa will retire, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan will be the chief justice.
While speaking at a program on Naya Daur TV, senior analyst Muzamal Suharwardy said that Imran Khan also wants to drag the proceedings of cases filed against him until the retirement of CJP Qazi Faiz Isa, adding that Khan wants elections to be held under the supervision of Justice Ijazul Ahsan.
He said that the PTI had secured a stay order from the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) appointments for general elections in a bid to cause a delay in elections.
The analyst said, “Now Imran Khan is seeking returning officers (ROs) from the judiciary, but in the past, he claimed that ROs of the judiciary committed rigging in polls.”
Suharwardy said that the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Lahore High Court are fully engaged in facilitating Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
While responding to a question, the analyst said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif is not pursuing an aggressive approach in his election campaign, adding that he is practicing the policy of reconciliation.
To another question, Suharwardy said that Army Chief General Asim Munir’s visit to the United States (US) is of great importance, adding that it would be decided during the visit whether Pakistan wants to move forward with the US or China.
“Many believe that the army chief can take over the control of the country if he gets the go-ahead from the US, but it will not happen, and there is no chance of martial law,” Suharwardy revealed.
The analyst said that Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a former judge of the IHC, has ruined his case by naming some retired army generals and some former judges as parties in the case against his removal. He added that he should have named only Lt. Gen. (retired) Faez Hameed as a party in the case.