PESHAWAR: Despite orders from the Supreme Court, a meeting between senior officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Governor Ghulam Ali failed to fix a date for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elections, JEE News reported on Thursday.
The KP Assembly was dissolved in mid-January and a caretaker setup was set up to conduct the elections. However, the date of the elections is yet to be decided.
A high-level meeting was held between Ghulam Ali and ECP officials at the KP Governor House on Wednesday.
“An ECP delegation, led by its secretary, briefed the governor that as per the constitution, he had to announce the election date within 90 days,” an official said.
Speaking to the publication on condition of anonymity, the official added that the delegation told Governor Ali that they had to discuss the date of the elections while the ECP handed over security and other arrangements to the caretaker government and other concerned agencies. is in touch with for elections.
The official said that the governor informed him that he will hold a final meeting with the ECP on the date next week.
Governor Ali in a letter on Monday invited the ECP to meet at the Governor House on March 7 or March 8.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan is welcome to attend the office of the undersigned on March 7 or March 8 at 11 a.m. at their convenience to initiate an active and meaningful consultation process,” the governor’s letter said. It was written in response to a letter sent by the Election Commission to announce the date of the election.
The Governor’s letter mentions the decision of the Supreme Court in the Somoto case regarding the date of the elections, which the undersigned is bound to respect.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had decided last week that elections should be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab within 90 days.
The provincial assemblies of both provinces were dissolved in mid-January and caretaker governments were installed for the last few months.
The two assemblies where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was in majority were dissolved on the instructions of PTI Chairman Imran Khan to force the federal government to hold early general elections in the country.
