Grant for Polls
ISLAMABAD: After the approval of a grant for polls, a senior official from the Election Commission of Pakistan stated that the ECP would hold the general elections by October 11, provided that the assemblies are dissolved by August 12.
Zafar Iqbal, the ECP Special Secretary, asserted that the commission is fully prepared to conduct the elections in Oct (within the specified timeframe).
A file photo of the ECP office in Islamabad as ECP prepares for elections in Oct this year.
He clarified that the elections would be conducted based on the old constituencies since the new census had not yet been approved.
If the government decides otherwise, the commission will handle the matter in accordance with the law, he added.
The official mentioned that completing the new delimitations would take approximately four months. To facilitate the process, the ECP has already sought the appointment of District Returning Officers (DROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) through the judiciary.
Furthermore, during an informal discussion with journalists, ECP Secretary Umar Hamid revealed that the commission had submitted more than 60 recommendations to the Electoral Reforms Committee, and most of them have reportedly been accepted, although formal approval is still pending.
The funding for the general elections, amounting to Rs42.5 billion, was granted approval during a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
However, the final approval of funds would be sought from the federal cabinet. Initially, Rs10 billion is expected to be released to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
PPP seeks dissolution of Parliament on Aug 8
Rana Farooq Saeed, the Punjab President of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) disclosed the party’s desire to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8. He mentioned that the final date for dissolution would be announced following consultations with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
Rana Farooq Saeed, along with the central and south Punjab leaders of PPP, addressed a news conference.
He stated, “The party advocates for holding elections in November and emphasizes that all registered parties should be allowed to participate in the polls.”
The PPP’s stance is in favor of free and fair elections, where any party facing accusations should clear their name before participating.
He expressed the importance of opposing such mentalities. Allowing such practices could set a precedent for future political parties to treat their rivals in a similar manner when in power.
