ECP may ask president to set K-P polls date

Second round of consultation with K-P governor today

PESHAWAR:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) might ask President Dr Arif Alvi to set the date of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly election if the consultation process with Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Monday (today) remained inconclusive.

The governor will hold a second round of consultation with the ECP in Islamabad on setting the election date, as directed by the Supreme Court in its suo motu case decision earlier this month.

In its ruling on March 1 in the election date suo motu case, the apex court had ordered the K-P governor to announce the date of the provincial assembly elections in consultation with the ECP.

In this regard, an ECP team visited Peshawar last week for a meeting with the governor, however, they were unable to finalise the date. It was decided in the meeting that both sides would meet again on March 13 in Islamabad.

Sources said that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja was likely to participate in the consultative session with Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Monday (today) to firm up the election date.

When contacted, ECP sources said that consultation process for the date of provincial election was ongoing, adding that the situation would be clear after Monday’s meeting with the governor.

When asked what if the governor did not give the date, a source said that in that eventuality a letter could be written to the president. “The ECP may refer the matter to the president if the governor does not give a date in tomorrow's consultative meeting,” the source said.

A senior ECP officer told The Express Tribune that the date of the election should be given within 90 days. The official added that if the date announcement was delayed for any reason, the days elapsed could be adjusted under Article 254 of the Constitution.

“The election date must come within 90 days. As time is running out and the election schedule cannot be completed in a short period of time, the Election Commission could write a letter to the president as early as March 14 (tomorrow).”

Governor Ali has stated that the security situation must be taken in view for holding the elections, adding that the law and order situation in the province is not ideal and the security agencies have also expressed their apprehensions.

“Now, in tomorrow's meeting, consultations will be held, taking into account the prevailing circumstances. We are neither running away from election nor from giving the date of the election,” he added.

The K-P Assembly was dissolved by then chief minister Mehmood Khan on the instructions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. The chief minister had sent the dissolution summary to the governor on January 17.

On the next day, Governor Ali signed the summary, hence the provincial assembly stood dissolved on January 18. Constitutionally, the elections were to be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly on a date set by the governor.

However, 56 days have passed since the dissolution and only 36 days remain in the constitutional timeframe, but no election date has yet been announced. It is still unclear whether the meeting at the ECP on Monday would be able to firm up any date.