In a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday, Governor Ghulam Ali has proposed delaying elections to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly until October 8, days after the electoral body postponed polls in Punjab to the same date. "Since ECP has postponed the election date for the general elections of Punjab province to October 08, 2023, therefore, it is also suggested that same October 08, 2023, be proposed/appointed as election date for general elections of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the best public interest as well as in the interest of the state," the governor wrote in his letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja. Similar to the election commission, Ghulam also cited the deteriorating security situation as the reason for the delay. "Your good office must note that subsequent to my last letter, fresh wave of terrorist activities had taken place in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on daily basis," he added. Read more: Govt lauds ECP's decision to postpone Punjab elections The governor told the ECP that the surge in terrorist activities, including attacks on army and police stations, had resulted in fatalities and injuries. The attacks have occurred on a daily basis, he said, adding that the incidents included cross-border fire in North Waziristan, an IED blast on an army vehicle in Kohat, encounter with terrorists in South Waziristan, terrorists fire on a police station Bara, attack on a police station in DI Khan, and a terrorist ambush resulting in the martyrdom of senior Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Burki and the injury of seven others. The governor proposed that the provincial elections, originally scheduled for May 28, also be delayed until October 8 as done for Punjab province. Earlier this month, in a meeting with President Arif Alvi, Governor Ali told had the president that the law and order situation in the province was not satisfactory. However, Alvi had suggested to Ali to implement the Supreme Court order on the election date, according to a statement from the the Press Wing of the President's House. On Wednesday, the ECP delayed the Punjab election until Oct 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful polls on the previously scheduled date of April 30. Subsequently, the ECP withdrew its notification regarding the elections in Punjab and postponed the voting for the provincial assembly until October 8, 2023, adding that a fresh election schedule would be announced in due course. Also read: President asks PM to 'push' for Punjab, K-P polls on time Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ordered that President Arif Alvi should announce the date of the Punjab Assembly election, while the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor would set the election date for the K-P assembly in consultation with the ECP. A five-judge larger bench of the apex court on March 1 gave a 3-2 split verdict on a suo motu case about the election date for the two provincial assemblies after holding hearing for two days. The Punjab Assembly was dissolved by then chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in January on the instructions of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Imran had also ordered the dissolution of the K-P Assembly, which was also dissolved in the same month. The PTI chief has been holding rallies and protests in different cities to force the federal government for calling early election in the country. The dissolution of the Punjab and K-P assemblies was also part of his efforts for early elections. The federal government has been opposing the early elections. It says that elections should be held on the same day once the incumbent government completes it constitutional term. The government side argues that holding elections separately would increase political crisis. Both the sides, however, admit that the deadlock has led to political instability and deteriorated economic situation.
from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/c4FAgJZ
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