Governor proposes May 28 for KP election

ISLAMABAD: After holding separate meetings with the President and the Chief Election Commissioner, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Haji Ghulam Ali on Tuesday proposed May 28, as a date for holding general elections for the provincial assembly.

The date coincides with the historic day when Pakistan became a nuclear state back in 1998.

However, the governor KP is yet to communicate the date to the ECP officially, as he announced the election date while talking to journalists after his meeting with the CEC Sikander Sultan Raja. On the occasion, he emphasized that the Supreme Court of Pakistan's verdict must be implemented.

It was learnt that during the meeting with the CEC, governor KP expressed his reservations over the prevailing security situation in the province. He also mentioned police lines terror incidents and other terrorist attacks in the province.

The governor also pointed out that the candidates would find it difficult to run election campaigns in such circumstances and expressed his concerns for the security of contesting candidates as well as voters.

It was also learnt that no specific date was proposed by the CEC during the meeting but the governor KP said that it would not be possible for candidates to run the election campaign during the month of Ramazan whereas they would have sufficient time for campaigning after the Eidul-Fitr.

The ECP sources, who revealed that the governor had not formally communicated his decision on fixing the poll date, said that a letter would be written to him, urging him to officially convey the poll date to the commission.

It may be pointed out that prior to his meeting with the CEC, governor KP called on President Dr Arif Alvi and discussed with him matters related to the holding of general elections in the province in the light of Article 224 (2) of the Constitution and the March 1, order of the Supreme Court.

During the meeting, the president advised the governor to implement the apex court order in letter and spirit. Besides, he also urged the governor of KP to announce a date for the elections in KP after consultation with the ECP to avoid any complications. President Alvi underlined the need for upholding the Constitution and holding general elections within the given time frame, mandated by the Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.