ISLAMABAD: The Election Com­mis­sion of Pakistan (ECP) will meet on Oct 14 to take a decision to ensure holding of first phase of local government polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa next month.

This was resolved at a meeting of the ECP held here with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair. Members of the incomplete commission, its secretary, four provincial election commissioners and senior officials attended the meeting.

The ECP was told during a briefing that in the last meeting on Sept 21, representatives of the KP government had said the government wanted LG polls in the province to be held in a phased manner. The advocate general for KP had said that the provincial government wanted LG polls to be held in March 2022, citing security environment as a major reason.

The ECP had rejected the proposal and called for holding LG polls at the earliest, conceivably in November.

The ECP had asked the KP government not to wait for its written orders and provide it with a plan for phased polls along with district-wise details.

On Tuesday, the commission was told that no communication had yet been received from the KP government.

On this, the ECP decided to hold a meeting on Oct 14, directing its office to send a letter to the KP government, asking it to provide a detailed schedule of local government elections so that the date for first phase in November could be finalised.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2021