ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali declared May 28 as the date for the province’s elections on Tuesday following a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Dr. Arif Alvi.
The governor met with ECP representatives earlier today. Later, the governor received a call from President Dr. Arif Alvi to discuss matters relating to the general elections for the KP Assembly. The KP Assembly was disbanded in the middle of January, and a caretaker government was installed to hold elections. A date for the elections was not chosen despite the Supreme Court’s orders. In order to avoid any complications, the president had suggested during the meeting that the KP Assembly election date be announced after consulting with the ECP.
Emphasising a need for upholding the Constitution and holding general elections within the given time period, President Alvi also directed Governor Ali to implement the top court’s order in letter and spirit where it is directed.
On March 8, the meeting between the electoral body and senior officials including Governor Ali could not be fruitful as it failed to finalise a date for the polls despite the orders given by the apex court.
The Supreme Court, in a split verdict, ruled on March 1 that elections for KP and Punjab assemblies should be held within 90 days.
In the verdict, the apex court noted that there are “different aspects and requirements” for holding polls but ruled that one thing that was “absolutely crucial is the timeframe” for the polls. It added that Constitution envisages two periods for holding polls — 60 days in case the assembly is dissolved after its term is completed and 90 days in case the assembly is dissolved before the expiry of its term.
The two assemblies — KP and Punjab — where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in majority were dissolved on the directives of party chief Imran Khan to force the federal government to early general elections in the country.
