Election Commission of Pakistan Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal assured on Thursday that the electoral watchdog was “fully prepared” for elections and would hold the polls by October 11 if the National Assembly was dissolved on August 12, when its five-year term comes to an end.
The five-year term of the NA commenced under the then PTI government on August 12, 2018, and will be completed under a PM Shehbaz-led ruling coalition following the ouster of former premier Imran Khan through a no-confidence vote in April last year.
The ECP official’s statement pertaining to the date of the election comes as political parties, particularly those part of the ruling coalition, increasingly engage in consultations ahead of the polls slated to take place later this year.
Another matter that has come to the spotlight with regard to elections is that of the census. In a statement, the ECP secretary said that they will make a decision in accordance with the law if new census results are approved by the federal government.
“We forwarded more than 60 recommendations to the electoral reforms committee. Almost all of ECP’s recommendations were accepted by the electoral reforms committee.”
“However, the formal announcement for the acceptance of the recommendations is yet to be made,” the secretary said.
