Consultation for election date to provincial assembly will held on March 7 or 8
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali has invited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for consultation to fix a date for election to the provincial assembly.
The consultation between KP Governor and ECP officials will take place on March 7 or 8 at the Governor House Peshawar.
The development came after the ECP wrote a letter to the KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali for announcement of a date or dates for holding of general election to the provincial assembly.
Earlier, the commission in a statement had said it was waiting for the Governor’s response for fixing the date or holding consultations for the announcement of a date for election in KP.
It is pertinent to mention here that president Dr Arif Alvi has fixed April 30 as the date for general election to the Punjab Assembly soon after receiving a letter from the ECP.
The announcement of date for polls in Punjab and consultation for proposed date in KP came after the Supreme Court bench in its verdict in suo motu case ruled regarding elections to Punjab and KP assemblies.
The SC in its ruling noted that President Dr. Arif Alvi and KP Governor will appoint dates for elections to the Punjab and KP assemblies dissolved on January 14 and Jan 18 respectively.
The verdict said that the elections to the two provincial legislatures should be held within the stipulated period of 90 days. However, the apex court allowed the Election Commission to propose a date that deviates from the 90-day deadline by the ‘barest minimum’, in case of any practical difficulty.
Meanwhile, KP Governor Haji Gulam Ali has said that the letter written by the ECP has been given response as per the light of ruling passed by the SC, adding that the orders of the apex court would be implemented in letter and spirit.
According to sources, the meeting between the ECP and KP Governor would be focused on the one point agenda to fix a specific date for polling in the province.
A senior official in the provincial election commission on the condition of anonymity told this scribe that the electoral watchdog has completed its preparations and is fully ready to perform its constitutional and legal duties for holding general elections in KP.
He said that after the selection of the date for polls in the province elections schedule would be announced as early as possible.
ECP was waiting for a response from the KP Governor for consultation on poll date and wanted to decide on the matter amicably as per the law, he added.
