APDM announces polls boycott

By Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: The APDM on Saturday announced that it would boycott the elections unless the government restores the country to pre-November 3 situation by Wednesday.

“We give a four-day ultimatum to the government to revert to the pre-November 3 situation, otherwise the APDM will boycott the elections,” PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq told a news conference after the meeting. Haq asked other opposition parties, including the PPP, to endorse the APDM decision and boycott the polls. The JUI-F boycotted the meeting.

The PML-N leader demanded that the government withdraw the PCO, lift emergency, reinstate judges and release all detained political activists, besides annulling amendments to the PEMRA Ordinance.

He told reporters that all component parties would separately get the APDM decision endorsed by their respective executive committees within four days. He said that if any party took part in the elections, it would be evicted from the APDM. MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the final decision on boycott would be taken on the platform of the six-party religious alliance. Senator SM Zafar said the president could withdraw the PCO, as the Supreme Court had empowered him to take any decision. “As far as reinstatement of judges is concerned, it would be decided by the SC,” he said. Advocate Farook H Naek also expressed similar views and said the president had full authority to withdraw the PCO. Senior lawyer Akram Sheikh said that the person who promulgated the PCO could withdraw it. “If the PCO is withdrawn, the wrongful termination of judges would ultimately stand void,” he said, adding, “The president could also withdraw the constitutional amendments under the PCO.”