Governor KP to meet ECP next week to finalise province's election date

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali said on Wednesday that he would meet with the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in Islamabad next week to finalise the date for the election in the province, APP reported.

He made these remarks during a meeting with an ECP delegation, comprising the Secretary, Special Secretary, and Director General of Law. The governor said he intended to have decisive consultation with the Commission on the matter, according to the press release.

The Commission said its delegation was fully empowered to hold consultation with the KP governor for the timely and efficient conduct of the provincial assembly elections.

The delegation briefed the governor on the importance of setting a date to hold the provincial assembly election within the minimum required timeframe of 90 days as per the Constitution.

The ECP delegation made it clear that the meeting with the governor was only for the purpose of setting the election date.

The ECP Secretary stressed that the election commission was fully committed to ensuring a free, fair, and transparent election in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

The development comes days after the ECP, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order for holding of provincial assemblies’ elections within the next 90 days, wrote a letter to the KP governor seeking a date for the election.

In response, KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali invited the ECP for a meeting regarding the consultation on election date.

Earlier in the day, the electoral watchdog announced that polls for the dissolved assembly of Punjab will be held on April 30.

The decision was reached after taking all stakeholders on board, the electoral watchdog said in a statement.

Candidates can submit their papers on March 12-14 which will be scrutinised by March 22.

Last week, President Dr Arif Alvi announced that general elections for the provincial assembly of Punjab would be held on April 30.