The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly denied impressions that general elections could see a further delay in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ECP said that President Arif Alvi’s comments in a recent interview had created an impression that a further delay in elections could be on the cards.
The statement added that there was no chance of elections being delayed.
The statement added that the first stage in creating fresh delimitations has already been completed and the second would be completed on October 27. A final list would be issued by November 30, the statement added.
The ECP added that its preparations to organise elections are complete as per the Commission’s action plan and a final schedule will be announced as soon as delimitations are completed.
However, in the statement the ECP did not mention that the elections would be held at the end of January as it did in a previous statement.
On Wednesday, President Alvi had said in an interview that he did not expect elections to be held in January. However, he had expressed hope that the Supreme Court would likely decide the matter in a balanced manner.
The matter of elections has been a hotly debated topic after the outgoing government approved the results of the 2023 census, necessitating fresh delimitations. The new delimitations meant that the elections would have to be pushed beyond the constitutionally mandated 90 days.
