ISLAMABAD: In yet another controversial decision, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday notified October 8 as the poll date for general elections to Khyber Pakjtunkhwa (KP) assembly.

“The election programme ….under section 57(2) will be issued in due course of time”, a notification shared with the media late in the night read.

The KP assembly was dissolved on January 18 and under the constitution, the elections were to be held within 90 days after the dissolution.

The decision comes exactly a week after The ECP postponed the Punjab assembly elections, originally scheduled for April 30, till October 8, sparking a debate if ECP can give an undeclared extension to the caretakers and go months beyond the constitutional deadline on its own.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2023