Election Commission of Pakistan postpones Punjab by-elections till Oct 8

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday postponed the Punjab by-elections till October 8. The elections were earlier scheduled to be held on April 30, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

According to details, the ECP withdrew the Punjab Election Program notification issued on March 8 and decided to postpone the Punjab election and announced October 8 as the new date for elections in Punjab, as per ARY News.

According to ECP spokesman, President Arif Alvi has also been informed about the postponement of elections in Punjab, adding that the new election schedule will be released soon.

The spokesperson added that the elections were postponed under Article 218(3) and Sections 58 and 8C of the Election Act, 2017.

"A meeting with all the stakeholder institutions and departments was held to review the schedule of the Punjab election, according to the briefing, it is not possible to hold peaceful elections in the current situation," the spokesman said, as quoted by ARY News.

Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah, earlier on Wednesday, said that they are not fleeing from the elections but are willing to organise general polls on the same day.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly (NA), Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the parliament should guide the government and all institutions for the general polls.

He said, "Elections of all assemblies should be held in the presence of the caretaker set-up. Polls on the same day will be a level playing field for everyone."

"Chief Justice has said that the court will intervene if elections are not held in 90 days. It is a fact that the April 30 election date is also exceeding the limit of elections within 90 days [after the dissolution of the provincial assembly]," he said as quoted by ARY News.