LAHORE: The postponement of the Punjab Assembly election (and possibly also of KP Assembly) has further fuelled the political divide, adversely affecting the efforts of civil society to persuade political parties to reach a mutually agreed consensus on holding free and fair polls through the proposed multi-party conference.

In a statement issued on Friday, The Mediators (a conglomeration of civil society organisations) said `the constitutional matter is to be adjudicated by the Supreme Court as a final judicial arbiter`.

Whatever the outcome, a constitutional breakdown must be averted and the writ of the Constitution must prevail, regardless of its conflicting implications for adversaries that may perpetuate political crisis to unmanageable levels, the statement of the civil society organisations gathered on one platform said.

In both ways, whether elections are held in one go or in installments, free and fair exercise of the right to franchise of the peoples of Pakistan must be upheld in an inclusive and transparent electoral process inthe larger interest of a plural democracy and the diversity of federation.

Despite new complication, the non-partisan role of The Mediators, in particular, and civil society and democratic forces, in general, for holding of free and fair elections has become even more daunting.

`In our analysis, the road to fair elections is expected to encounter greater twists and turns and we as an informal group for political mediation must be prepared to pursue our unfinished agenda of pursuing a reconciliation process for a smooth democratic transition within the constitutional framework,` the statement added.

Various civil society and human rights organisations, bar associations and journalist bodies have come together under the banner of `The Mediators`, announcing that they would hold a multi-party conference in consultation with leaders of different political parties.

A couple of days back, the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) had accepted a proposal from civil society organisations to hold a multi-party conference in an attempt to break the ongoing political deadlock over the next general election in the country.