ECP preparing to hold bypolls in over 60 NA seats in March

ISLAMABAD: All pending elections of the National Assembly seats will be held in March as schedule for the 27 remaining NA seats would be announced next week. The poll will take place on these seats in the last week of March. With this, all seats vacated by the PTI members through resignations would be filled through the by-polls.

The Election Commission announced its schedule for holding polls on 33 seats first and made public its new plan for 31 more seats last week. No election will be possible from April till the completion of the tenure of NA in the third week of August this year. Highly-placed sources in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told The News here Saturday that the commission had stepped up its efforts for preparations for the general elections in October/November this year. The sources said on anonymity that the ECP has got nothing to do with the polling date for the provincial assemblies when they are dissolved by the sitting government. The commission could suggest some dates in this regard but that is not binding on the provincial governors, who are the sole arbitrators for determining the date.

The commission will be ready for holding elections of dissolved provincial assemblies, but certain technical and constitutional requirements are to be taken into consideration before taking a decision, the sources said.

The ECP, in its full-house meeting, decided to hold a series of consultations and deliberations on upcoming polls and subsequent general elections. The commission has convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday (Feb 7) to be attended by chief secretaries and Police IGs of Punjab and KPK. They will brief the commission on elections of provincial assemblies, National Assembly by-elections, law and order situation and other issues in their respective jurisdictions on the occasion.

Yet another ECP meeting would be held on the issue on February 9 (Thursday) at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). All stakeholders and political parties, including PTI and PMLQ, have been invited to the meeting, sources said.

It will discuss all aspects of peaceful elections of provincial assemblies, code of ethics and other constitutional and legal issues and get their feedback for ensuring transparent elections, the sources said. Omar Hameed Khan, Secretary ECP, while briefing the commission, gave details on arrangements for the elections of provincial assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and by-elections to 86 constituencies of the National Assembly.

He told the meeting that the registrars of Lahore High Court and Peshawar High Court have been asked to provide services of judicial officers for the upcoming elections. The by-polls to 31 National Assembly constituencies will be held on March 19. An earlier election on 33 NA seats was announced to be held on March 16.