• ECP will hold a consultative meeting with political parties
• ECP deliberated dates for holding elections of Punjab and KP assemblies
• Governors of KP, Punjab have advised ECP to consult stakeholders

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold a consultative meeting with the political parties in the federal capital on February 9 to discuss conducting general elections.

The electoral body will discuss conducting peaceful elections of provincial assemblies, code of ethics and other constitutional and legal issues and get their feedback for ensuring immaculate elections.

According to ECP spokesperson, the meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja deliberated the dates of holding elections of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.

ECP Secretary Omer Hamid Khan briefed the forum about arrangements of the elections of provincial assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and by-elections in 86 National Assembly constituencies.

The ECP secretary told the meeting that the registrars of Lahore High Court and Peshawar High Court have been asked to provide the services of judicial officers for holding free and fair elections of the provincial assemblies.

The meeting decided to hold another meeting on Tuesday, February 7, in which chief secretaries and Inspector-General Police of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will brief the commission about elections of provincial assemblies and the law and order situation and other issues in their jurisdiction.

It must be mentioned that the governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult stakeholders before holding elections in their provinces.

Punjab Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman governor has written separate letters to the ECP, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan, and PTI parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Usman Buzdar.

The governor asked the electoral watchdog to consult stakeholders regarding the economic and security situation before announcing a date to hold elections across the province.

He noted that the Punjab Assembly was dissolved according to the law and constitution. The governor said his office would fulfill its role to fulfill all constitutional requirements.

Regarding providing a date for the elections, he said the country was facing economic and security issues which should be taken into consideration.

Similarly, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also asked the ECP to consult and take into confidence political parties and law enforcement agencies before fixing a date for the general elections in the province.

In a letter sent to the Chief Election Commissioner after the deadly suicide bombing in Peshawar, Governor KP Haji Ghulam Ali noted the alarming law and order situation in the province and the series of terrorist attacks during the past days.

The governor said it would be advisable that before fixing a date for the general elections, the ECP should consult and take into confidence relevant institutions and law enforcement agencies as well as political parties to ensure that conduct of general elections in a fair, free and peaceful manner in the province is possible.

The ECP had asked the KP Governor to fix the date for the elections and suggested that polls can be held betwee April 15-17.

In his response, the governor advised the ECP to take the law and order situation into account before announcing a date for the elections. He hinted at delaying the polls in view of the worsening law and order situation in KP.

During an interaction with journalists, the governor said that 400 tribal elders requested him that elections should be held after three to four months.

“If a province demands to conduct census first or intelligence agencies advise to postpone elections then how would the elections be held,” he questioned.

Referring to the terror attacks on police and rising terrorism, he said that the law and order issue should be addressed first ahead of the polls and the date for the election should be fixed after consensus.

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