The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced the postponement of upcoming by-elections in several constituencies of Punjab, citing unprecedented floods that have severely disrupted communication systems, infrastructure, and administrative operations in the province.
According to an ECP order issued on September 4, the decision was taken after the Commission reviewed reports highlighting that floods had washed away roads, bridges, railway lines, and electricity infrastructure while also damaging government buildings designated as polling stations and storage facilities for election material.
The election watchdog had announced election schedules for five National Assembly constituencies, NA-66 Wazirabad, NA-96 Faisalabad-II, NA-104 Faisalabad-X, NA-129 Lahore-XIII, and NA-143 Sahiwal-III, as well as four Punjab Assembly constituencies – PP-73 Sargodha-III, PP-87 Mianwali-III, PP-98 Faisalabad-I, and PP-203 Sahiwal-VI.
The Commission noted that polling staff, largely drawn from government departments, were unavailable due to their deployment in ongoing rescue and relief operations. Law enforcement agencies were also occupied with emergency duties, making it difficult to ensure the required level of security for the polls.
“The Commission has come to the conclusion that due to non-availability of polling staff, requisite number of law enforcing personnel, damage of infrastructure, disenfranchisement of voters due to displacement, election cannot be ensured with the optimum level of security as mandated under Article 218(3) of the Constitution,” the ECP stated.
The Commission said the election program for the above-mentioned constituencies stands postponed and will resume from the stages already announced “after normalization of the situation in public interest.”
The floods in Punjab have been described as an unprecedented national-level calamity, with extensive damage to private and public property and displacement of voters in several districts.
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