Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday assured representatives of Awami National Party (ANP) that the general elections could be held by mid-February, and if the constituency delimitation was completed earlier, the elections might take place sooner. In a consultative meeting with the ECP to outline the election roadmap, the ANP has requested that if conducting the election within 90 days was not feasible, they be provided with the election date and schedule. After a meeting with the ECP, Mian Iftikhar conveyed that the Election Commission affirmed its readiness for mid-February elections and expressed its commitment to fast-track constituency delimitation to potentially enable earlier elections.

ANP leaders Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Zahid Khan conveyed that they had expressed the party’s viewpoint.

They highlighted that, in accordance with the constitution, holding the election within 90 days was obligatory.

They mentioned that the ANP was not extended an invitation to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting.

In response, the ECP highlighted that once the census is sanctioned, the creation of new constituencies becomes unavoidable. Mian Iftikhar pointed out that the assembly’s premature dissolution, occurring shortly before its tenure completion, led to a month-long delay in fresh elections. Mian Iftikhar said that the dissolution of the assembly, a few days earlier before completion of tenure was the reason to delay by one month.

Mian Iftikhar said that the Election Commission had assured that they were ready for the elections by mid-February and it was told that they would try to complete the constituencies delimitation quickly so that the elections could be held earlier. He stressed the need for a level playing field among all parties.

Zahid Khan communicated to the Election Commission their reservations regarding the digital census, citing a decline in Peshawar’s population following its introduction.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) held a meeting with the senior officials of the ECP to deliberate the election roadmap.

The delegation comprising BAP senators Manzoor Kakar, Sana Jamali, Danesh Kumar and Naseebullah Bazai, in the meeting, conveyed their party’s position on conducting elections within 90 days. Besides Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, ECP members and senior officials attended the meeting. The discussions were primarily centered on the demarcation of constituencies and other election related issues. Manzoor Kakar mentioned efforts to organize a meeting of Balochistan’s political parties to discuss constituency delineation and issues concerning general elections. They intended to visit Balochistan for further discussions and would subsequently present their action plan to the Election Commission, he added.