The federal government requested that the by-elections be delayed for 90 days in order to accommodate the anticipated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march, but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected that request on Tuesday and announced that the by-elections would take place on October 16.
It is important to note that the interior ministry warned on Sunday that the “party” may “besiege” Islamabad between October 12 and October 17, which falls on the same day as the by-election date of October 16.
In this respect, a meeting was conducted today with the participation of the Defense Secretary and the Defense Secretary, and it was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
It was resolved during the conference that the by-elections would go place on October 16 as scheduled, and that the election in Kurram’s NA-45 would be postponed because of the law and order situation.
The Election Commission reports that local body elections will take place on October 23 as scheduled in every district of the Karachi Division.
To preserve calm in the capital city, the letter to ECP said, “This would need the utmost deployment of all available soldiers.”
The letter said that the recent devastating floods had caused losses and a spike in infections, which was why by-polls were being delayed.
The government agencies, including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Rangers, and other LEAs, would be under tremendous strain to use their resources and carry the additional workload during election duties, according to the ministry cited in the article. The majority of resources have been diverted toward relief and rehabilitation efforts throughout the country’s flood-hit areas.
According to Article 218 clause (3) of the Constitution, which directs the ECP to “organise and conduct the elections and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the elections are conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with the law, and that corrupt practises are guarded against,” the ministry claimed that if security personnel are not placed, it will cast doubt on the credibility of the election.
Therefore, the ministry has asked the ECP to further postpone the date of the by-elections by 90 days or as the Commission deems appropriate.
