The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said it intended to shorten the existing four-month timeline designated for the delimitation of national and provincial assembly constituencies.

The ECP conveyed this intention in a press statement following separate meetings with delegations from the Balochistan National Party (BNP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).

These meetings, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, were held to discuss the election roadmap.

Earlier this month, the ECP ruled out elections this year, following the notification of the latest 2023 digital census. Since the National Assembly was dissolved three days before the end of its constitutional term, Article 224 of the Constitution mandates that elections be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly by November 9.

But at the same time, Section 17(2) of the Elections Act states that “the commission shall delimit constituencies after every census is officially published.”

In line with this requirement, the ECP previously said the process of fresh delimitation was expected to be completed by December 14 — over a month beyond the constitutionally mandated deadline for conducting general elections.

Since last week, the ECP has also been consulting political parties on elections and has already held meetings with the PPP, PTI, PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

In a statement issued after today’s meetings, the ECP said the CEC assured the delegations that the electoral watchdog intended to shorten the duration of the delimitation process and would ensure the timely conduct of elections.

“After reducing the delimitation timeframe to an appropriate length, the ECP will announce the schedule for elections,” the watchdog added.

The statement said the ANP demanded of the ECP that polls must be held within the constitutionally mandated 90-day period. It added that the ANP raised a concern that the ECP should have engaged with political parties prior to initiating the process of delimitation.

The party noted that the ECP should uphold the equitable distribution of seats among provinces, as outlined in the Constitution, and avoid any actions that might be perceived as unjust, the press release further said.

It mentioned that the ANP conveyed its full confidence in the ECP, affirming that the watchdog’s decision regarding delimitations must have been undertaken after meticulous consideration and thought.

“The CEC said the ECP has set a target to conclude delimitations by Dec 14, 2023, and the commission also plans to shorten this timeframe, and the specific timetable for the polls will be revealed once this comprehensive process reaches its conclusion.”

The ECP chief said there was also a possibility of shortening the delimitation timeline and concurrently releasing the election schedule in the next few days, the statement added.

It said the BAP endorsed the ECP’s decision to carry out fresh delimitations prior to the elections. Meanwhile, the BNP delegation also stressed that the ECP should strive to ensure that the elections were conducted within the constitutionally mandated 90-day timeframe. The party also voiced concerns about the accuracy of the new census, contending that it inaccurately represented the population of Balochistan.

The ECP statement quoted the BNP as stating, “If the ECP considers delimitations to be a prerequisite, then it must first address the errors associated with it.”

Talking to the media earlier in the day, ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the ECP had categorically assured it of not delaying polls beyond February.

“The ECP also said that it could hold elections earlier than February if the delimitation exercise was completed before the deadline,” Hussain said.

He claimed assemblies were dissolved earlier to delay elections.