ECP postpones by-polls for NA, Punjab, Sindh

Commission suspends all activities until its vacant slots are filled

ISLAMABAD: A day after it postponed all local government election-related activity, officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday postponed all by-elections in the National Assembly and provincial constituencies that were scheduled to be held in coming weeks.



Rendered dysfunctional after retirement of all its four members, the ECP suspended all activities until its vacant slots are filled.

ECP notified the postponement of by-elections for the National Assembly constituencies NA-63 Jhelum and NA-162 Sahiwal, besides postponing by-polls for Punjab Assembly constituencies PP-232 Vehari, PP-240 D.G. Khan and for Sindh Assembly constituency PP-127 Karachi.



After recent changes were made in Article 218 via the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, all decisions relating to elections now rest with the ECP, comprising the chief election commissioner and four members.

The CEC can only take decisions on administrative matters.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2016.