Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday issued the schedule for the election of 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seats in the tribal districts, Radio Pakistan reported.

According to the ECP schedule, the elections will be held on July 2.

The elections will take place in: PK 100 Bajaur-I, PK 101 Bajaur-II, PK 102 Bajaur-III, PK 103 Mohmand-I, PK 104 Mohmand-II, PK 105 Khyber-I, PK 106 Khyber-II, PK 107 Khyber-III, PK 108 Kurram-I, PK 109 Kurram-II, PK 110 Orakzai, PK 111 North Waziristan-I, PK 112 North Waziristan-II, PK 113 South Waziristan-I, PK 114 South Waziristan-II, PK 115 Ex-Frontier regions.

Candidates can file their nomination papers with returning officers (RO) from Thursday to Saturday, Radio Pakistan reported, adding that May 18 will be the last date for scrutiny of the nomination papers by the returning officer.

Additionally, May 22 has been set as the last date for filing appeals against the ROs decisions on the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers.

Candidates can withdraw their nomination papers by May 29, and a revised list of candidates will be published on the same day. On May 30, election symbols for candidates will be allotted.

According to Radio Pakistan, the ECP has directed that no posting or transfers of any officers should be made in the tribal districts till the names of returning candidates are published.

The ECP has also directed that no government functionary or elected representative should announce any development scheme for constituencies where the elections are scheduled to take place, the report added.

The terrorism-hit tribal districts were merged with KP as part of a reforms package aimed at bringing them on a par with other parts of the country.

The ECP had determined and notified in January the share of tribal districts in the provincial assembly seats. The decision was in line with Article 106 of the Constitution amended through the 25th Amendment in May last year and last-minute promulgation of an ordinance to avert disenfranchisement of scattered tribal regions.

Read: First-ever KP assembly polls across tribal districts in June

The ordinance amended Section 20 of the Elections Act, 2017, inserting a new sub-section (2A) which reads: “For the purpose of delimiting constituencies, for the general seats of the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for tribal areas, two or more separate areas may be grouped into one constituency for their elections to be held in 2019 and by-elections related therein and thereafter this sub-section shall stand omitted.”

Additional reporting by Fahad Chaudhry