Punjab polls: Governor cites security, asks ECP to consult stakeholders

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult stakeholders for a date to hold elections across the province, citing economic and security issues in the country, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

According to details, the Punjab Governor penned down a letter to the electoral watchdog, asking the body to consult stakeholders for a date to hold elections across the province.

In the letter, Baligh-ur-Rehman noted that the Punjab Assembly (PA) was dissolved according to the Constitution and Law. Referring to holding polls across the province, he said, the country was currently witnessing economic and security issues.

In separate letters to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former Parliamentary leader Usman Buzdar and PA Speaker Sibtain Khan, the governor assured that his office would fulfill the constitutional requirements and responsibilities.

“The Election Commission will play its role on the issue of polls date”, Punjab Governor said, mentioning that he had written a letter to the electoral body in this regard.

A day earlier, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Haji Ghulam Ali suggested April 16 as the date for holding elections across the province.

Governor KP penned down a letter to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), suggesting April 16 as the date for holding polls.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Peshawar confirmed the development, saying that Governor KP had written a letter to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for informing the body about the date of the poll.

After the dissolution of the KP and Punjab assemblies, the government and opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa appointed former bureaucrat Azam Khan as caretaker chief minister.

However, in Punjab, the parliamentary panel comprised of the opposition and government members failed to reach on consensus on the caretaker chief minister.

As per the procedure, the matter was decided by the ECP, which named Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab to lead the interim setup in the province.