The Facts
Pakistan's Pres. Arif Alvi announced on Friday that elections for the dissolved provincial assembly of Punjab will be held on April 30 after his decision last week to hold it on April 9 caused controversy.
This came hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suggested the voting be carried out between April 30 and May 7, preferably on a Sunday. Meanwhile, the election date for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) polls remains to be announced.
The Spin
Narrative A
The Supreme Court and the Election Commission did the right thing and followed the Constitution regarding the Punjab and KP assembly elections, despite the intense pressure from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. Nearly a year into this political and economic crisis, the country will only find a solution through democratic elections.
Narrative B
While the Supreme Court and the Election Commission have allowed these two provincial polls to be prematurely held before the general elections, they have so far failed to provide an explanation on whether the assemblies would have to be dissolved again or not. It's evident that they have fallen into Khan's trap of dragging the country into further turmoil and legal battles to influence the outcome of the general elections.
