Daily Times

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday his party’s supremo, Nawaz Sharif, was confident that general elections would be held in the country in February next year, a private TV channel reported. “He (Nawaz) is sure that elections will take place in February. Delimitation of constituencies has to be completed before then, and it will be completed by December,” Sanaullah said while talking to a private TV channel. The former interior minister added that since elections would be held in February, it was appropriate for Nawaz to return to the country in September or October. Sanaullah claimed that the establishment had wanted the elections to be held within the constitutionally mandated period of 90 days following the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) on August 9, three days before the end of its term. The Constitution provides that if the assembly completes its tenure, elections are to be held in 60 days, but in case of premature dissolution – which will be the case here – this period is extended to 90 days. However, after the final results of the first-ever digital census were approved earlier this month, it seems almost certain that the polls will be delayed as a fresh delimitation of constituencies is now required, which will take time.

The delimitation issue was also brought up during a Supreme Court hearing today where Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said the ECP should conduct the process of delimitations transparently, stressing that it was a “matter of public interest”. He directed the ECP to resolve all issues prior to the polls.

Subsequently, the ECP issued a notification stating that it would hold a meeting on Wednesday (today) to discuss the delimitation of NA and provincial assemblies’ constituencies and allied matters.