Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently declared that the upcoming general elections will take place in late January 2024, with January 28 being the likely date. Given the current climate of uncertainty, anxiety, and economic and political instability in our country, many doubt that the elections will indeed happen within the next three months. However, the ECP’s actions are working to address these concerns.

Recently, the caretaker Punjab chief minister and the chief election commissioner met and reviewed the arrangements and preparations for the elections made by the caretaker government. As the general elections are approaching, the focus should be on ensuring transparency and fairness during this process, and the preparations of the Punjab caretaker government have been deemed satisfactory.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar says that the ECP will announce the election date, and their role is to support the commission. To make progress, everyone must set aside biases and contribute to our nation’s development. The recent interim budget announcement by the Punjab caretaker cabinet also suggests that elections will take place at the end of January. To ensure transparency, the ECP needs to take various steps, including halting new appointments in the National Assembly and deploying 147,000 army and paramilitary personnel for election security. Out of Punjab’s 50,000 polling stations, 7,000 have been identified as sensitive.

All these measures signal that the elections will occur as per the ECP’s timeline, at the end of January 2024, with no further delays expected. It’s now time for our democratic process to proceed, as the people’s votes will determine the composition of the next national and provincial assemblies. When the responsible representatives of the caretaker government and the Election Commission affirm that the elections will be held on time, they are referring to January.

The ECP had to redraw constituencies according to the new census in the midst of rapidly changing political dynamics, resulting in election delays. However, it’s time to put an end to debates about when and if the elections will happen. The ECP should promptly announce the election schedule to eliminate electoral uncertainty, allowing our country to move towards greater democracy and political stability. We must understand that political stability is essential for addressing our economic crisis, and political parties should play a constructive role in achieving this goal. *