ISLAMABAD: The president of Pakistan and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), unanimously, agreed to hold general elections in the country on 8th February 2024.

A delegation of ECP led by Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday held a consultative meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi on the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to finalise elections date in the country.

On Thursday’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the ECP, came to meet President Dr Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming general elections in the country.

Elections to be held in last week of January: ECP

The president heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections.

After a detailed discussion, the meeting, unanimously, agreed to hold general elections in the country on 8th February 2024.

It is pertinent to mention here that President Alvi recently expressed concerns about a potential delay in the general elections during an interview with a private TV channel on October 25.

He expressed uncertainty about whether the elections would proceed as scheduled in the last week of January.

Meanwhile, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan also held a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday before the meeting with the president he had along with the CEC.

Later, in a separate development, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan also arrived at the ECP office to engage in further discussions, as instructed by the Apex Court.

Earlier, in compliance with the Apex Court’s order, the ECP also wrote a letter to President Alvi, proposing February 11, 2024, as the date for the general elections.

According to the letter, the ECP wrote: “We expect that the matter be appointing a date for holding general elections shall be settled, and this Court will be informed tomorrow, that is, 3rd November 2023.”

It further said, “in order to comply with the directions contained in the subject order of the Apex Court, the Commission, after due deliberation, hereby proposes for appointment of poll date 11th February, 2024 for general election to the National and Provincial Assemblies.”

The letter further described, “We expect that the matter be appointing a date for holding general elections shall be settled and this Court will be informed tomorrow (Friday), that is, 3rd November 2023.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023