Overview
On Sunday, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif accused President Arif Alvi of having “one-sided and anti-government” opinions in a letter he wrote to the PM on Friday.
Sharif added that it appeared to read as a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) press release, not a non-bipartisan president’s letter.
He further accused Alvi of failing to perform his duties as delineated in the Pakistani Constitution. To this end, he cited Alvi’s refusal to dissolve the parliament during Khan’s tenure. He also said Alvi did not administer the oath in PM Sharif’s office upon his appointment.
Moreover, Sharif held Alvi and Khan’s PTI party responsible for fundamental and human rights violations, Pakistan’s economic struggles, and Islamabad’s diminishing influence in the international community.
He highlighted that the president did not have the power to seek an explanation from the government or the PM. Nevertheless, he said responding to Alvi’s letter was necessary only to underline the “partisan attitude and actions” and “set the record of [the Pakistani] Government straight.”
PM Shehbaz Sharif responds to President Arif Alvi's letter of March 24, containing 5 pages and 7 points.
— President PMLN (@president_pmln) March 26, 2023
The Prime Minister said that he was constrained to express his disappointment at the blatant partisan nature of the letter, which in parts reads like a press release of PTI. pic.twitter.com/aDlZjOC944
Alvi’s Letter and Khan’s Comment
On Friday, Alvi wrote a letter to Sharif on the upcoming elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, urging the government to ensure all authorities respect the Supreme Court’s order.
In March, the Pakistani Supreme Court instructed the Election Commission to conduct the provinces’ elections within the 90 days stipulated in the Constitution. The two provinces’ assemblies were dissolved in January 2023. Following this ruling, Alvi declared the election deadline to be 30 April.
We dissolved our 2 provincial legislatures with expectation that elections would be held in 90 days as clearly given in our Constitution. We did not take this action to allow a bunch of fascists to impose a reign of terror, violating the Constitution & Rule of Law.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2023
He urged Sharif to instruct federal and provincial authorities to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan and conduct the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections following the constitutional timeline.
The letter further accused the government of using disproportionate force against politicians, political activists, and journalists while they attempted to arrest Khan.
Alvi’s letter was in response to the Election Commission’s decision to postpone elections in Punjab, raising security concerns. The elections were scheduled for 30 April and will now be held on 8 October.
Similarly, Khan spoke out against the Election Commission’s decision to postpone the Punjab elections, warning that the decision means the “end of rule of law in Pakistan.”