Pakistan’s election body changed the election date from February 11 after a directive from Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who instructed them to consult with President Alvi….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan President Arif Alvi and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday agreed to conduct Pakistan general elections on February 8 next year, Dawn News reported.
Taking to X, President Alvi said, “After a detailed discussion the meeting unanimously agreed to hold General Elections in the country on 8th February 2024.”
The election conducting body of Pakistan revised its proposed election date of February 11 in the evening after Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa had directed it to confer with President Alvi on the poll date.
Dawn News reported that a delegation headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja met with the President at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad after Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan called on him.
Pakistan’s President further shared on X, “President Dr. Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming General Elections in the country. The President heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections.”
After the meeting wrapped up, it emerged that CEC Raja had written a letter to the president, proposing February 11 as the date for general elections.
Earlier today, the electoral body’s counsel, Sajeel Swati, said the process of drawing constituencies would be completed by January 29 paving the way for polls. He made this revelation as the apex court resumed hearing a set of petitions calling for holding elections within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures, Dawn reported.
“Elections in the country will be held in the country (after) completion of delimitation on November 30,” ECP’s lawyer told the three-member bench.
Moreover, this was the second hearing the three-member bench was holding on the petitions, according to Geo News.
The bench consisted of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan.
Pakistan has been dealing with political uncertainty since Imran Khan’s government was removed through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Following that, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government dissolved the National Assembly on August 9, while Sindh and Balochistan assemblies were also prematurely dissolved to allow the electoral authority to hold elections in the country within 90 days, Geo News reported.
However, the ECP decided against holding polls within the desired time as the Council of Common Interest (CCI), days before the dissolution of the assemblies, approved the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023.
The CCI approval made it mandatory for the commission to hold elections following fresh delimitations, reported Geo News.
Following this, the ECP on August 17 announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out as per the new census approved by the CCI.
However, it further announced that the general elections in the country would be held in the last week of January 2024. (ANI)