Elections to be held by Oct 11 if assemblies dissolved on Aug 12: ECP
Pakistan
Four months required for demarcation if new census approved
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would hold elections by Oct 11 if assemblies were dissolved on Aug 12, said ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan on Thursday.
Speaking to the media, Hameed said the ECP would keep in touch with the media before general elections, adding that the ECP had placed 60 recommendations before the electoral reforms committee. “All our recommendations have been approved,” he added.
He went on to say that it would be implausible to comment before the electoral watchdog’s recommendations were formally approved, adding that the ECP was ready to hold general elections. “The ECP will take four months for demarcation if new census is approved,” he added.
ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Hussain told the presser that the judiciary had been requested to spare judicial officers to perform duties as district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs). Watermark papers have been procured for ballot papers, and other essential election materials have been obtained, draft list of polling stations and data bank of polling staff has been prepared, and coordination with presses for printing of ballot papers and nomination papers has been completed.
To a query, he ruled out the possibility of fresh delimitation of constituencies prior to the electoral exercise and said elections will be held under the previous census and delimitation.
Hussian said elections will be held in line with the electoral reforms expected to be shortly approved by the parliament.
To a question about the trend of electoral candidates exceeding the limits of expenses set by the law, he said that a monitoring mechanism was in place, and there would be a check on those violating the law.
Earlier Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said a decision on the dissolution of the National Assembly had yet to be made.
Taking to Twitter, Aurangzeb made it clear that no date had been decided for the dissolution of the NA yet. The date of the NA's dissolution would be decided in consultation with the allied parties, said Aurangzeb.
Balochistan National Party- Mengal (BNP-M) expressed reservations over coalition government’s decision of holding elections on the old census.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology and BNP-M leader Agha Hassan Baloch in a statement said that holding the upcoming general elections on the basis of old census is unacceptable.
