ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan said on Thursday that it was not possible to hold local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) before March next year.

A meeting of the commission held under the chairmanship of Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali discussed matters pertaining to electoral arrangements and noted that it could manage to hold polls somewhere around the middle or end of March 2015 at the earliest.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said the ECP had pointed out some anomalies in the law and rules for local government elections and the KP government would be required to rectify these in a week’s time.

He said the LG polls in the province would be held in accordance with the delimitation already carried out by the delimitation authority. He said an updated notification of delimitation had been sought and it was likely to be received on Friday.

Explaining difficulties in holding the elections on Nov 15, he said that ballot papers of three of the seven required colours were not in stock and the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) had sought 60 days for their procurement.

He said that biometric system would be used in Ghazi tehsil and procurement of machines for the tehsil would require about three months. He said there was a room in the KP law to allow use of biometic system or hold the election in conventional manner.

Answering a question, he said the commission had not formally received any complaint about the airdropping of pamphlets in NA-149, Multan, after the expiry of time for campaigning.

He said the commission had taken notice of media reports about it and a report from the provincial election commission had also been received.

He said that the district returning officer (DRO) concerned had received a complaint and had sought a report from the district coordination officer (DCO).

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014