The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday wrote to the governors in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, seeking the issuance of dates for the elections in line with the dates when they were dissolved earlier this month.
According to separate letters to the principal secretaries of both governors, the ECP said that under Article 224 of the Constitution, it was must hold elections within 90 days of the dissolution of any assembly. In this regard, it said, elections in Punjab—whose assembly was dissolved on Jan. 14—could be held between April 9 and 13, while those in KP—whose assembly was dissolved on Jan. 18—could be held between April 15 and 17.
For Punjab, the electoral watchdog said the date for polls cannot exceed April 13. “Likewise, for completion of all activities mentioned in the election program as per section 57 (2) of the Elections Act, 2017 minimum of 54 days will be required,” it said, stressing the government should finalize the date of the election in accordance with its suggestion.
In KP, per the letter sent by the ECP, authorities have been urged to fix a date between April 15 and April 17 for polls across the province. They has also been urged to not exceed the proposed date as per law.
The ECP’s letter followed a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in which he was informed that preparations had been completed for electoral material, polling stations and voter lists. It decided the ECP would issue the election schedule after a decision on the polling day.
Last week, Mohsin Raza Naqvi was sworn in as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, while Mohammad Azam Khan took oath as KP’s chief minister, establishing interim governments that will oversee the election process until the formation of a new government.