ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that in case of dissolution of provincial assemblies, elections will be held in respective provinces and not for National Assembly.

Statement has come after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan announced party’s decision to resign from provincial assemblies, most notably in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where party is in government, in a bid to place pressure on federal government to announce an early election date.

Without sharing further details of his decision, Imran said that he would soon be meeting his chief ministers and parliamentary party about matter and would soon make announcement about when party would leave assemblies.

ECP officials clarified that should assemblies be dissolved, provincial elections will be organised within 60 days. Officials also revealed that for each provincial poll, an estimated cost of Rs 50 to Rs 70 million will be incurred, with total projected cost of elections in Punjab and KP amounting to Rs 22.5 billion.

In case assemblies in two provinces are dissolved, ECP will be responsible for administering polls in over 400 constituencies. “Although it is difficult to hold provincial elections and national elections in same year, we are bound by law,” ECP officials added. “Delimitation of constituencies and conducting Local Body elections was also mammoth task,” ECP said, “however we held those. In that same vein, elections will be held as per law even if it is difficult”.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 29 2022

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