ECP to consult on security situation as govt requests delaying by-polls for 90 days

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to further consult on the security situation on the request of the Ministry of Interior to postpone the by-elections for 90 days.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the ECP has started considering the request by the ministry to postpone the by-polls on 12 constituencies of national and Punjab assemblies scheduled for October 16 as well as local body elections in Karachi.

They revealed that a meeting of the commission was held today to discuss the request made by the interior ministry under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

In the meeting, the government's letter of postponing the by-elections and local body elections in Karachi was reviewed and an important meeting has been called on Tuesday for further consultation.

Insiders revealed that the ECP has summoned the chief secretaries of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as well as the IGs of the three provinces for the meeting.

Read By-polls on 9 NA, 3 PA seats on October 16

Moreover, the Interior Secretary, Defence Secretary and DG Military Operations have also been summoned, they added.

The ECP will make the decision during the meeting to be held on Tuesday at 2pm. The commission will decide whether or not by-elections should be held or postponed.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry requested the ECP to postpone the by-elections scheduled to be held on October 16 for 90 days in view of "credible reports" from intelligence agencies that a "political party" was planning to besiege the federal capital.

In its letter to the poll supervisor, the ministry in an apparent reference to PTI, said that the party could "besiege" Islamabad between 12-17 October, which coincided with October 16 — the date on which the by-elections are slated for.

"This would require the maximum deployment of all available troops to maintain peace in the capital city," the letter read.

It also cited the losses incurred and the rise in diseases following the recent catastrophic floods as the reason for the postponement of by-polls.

The letter said that most resources have been diverted towards relief and rehabilitation efforts across flood-hit areas in the country; therefore, it would put immense strain on government agencies including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Rangers, and other LEAs to utilise its resources and carry the extra work during election duties.

The ministry stated that if security personnel is not placed, it would raise questions on the credibility of the election as per the Constitution's Article 218 clause (3), which mandates the ECP "to organise and conduct the elections and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the elections are conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with the law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against".

The elections were scheduled to take place in NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-31 Peshawar, NA-45 Kurram, NA-108 Faisalabad, NA-118 Nankana Sahib, NA-237 Malir and NA-239 Karachi.