–Commission says date was extended ‘due to disposal of pending constitutional petitions’ in SHC
The by-polls for National Assembly seat NA-205 will be held on July 23 instead of July 18, said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a notification, announcing an extension of five days.
The notification read that the by-polls were extended “due to disposal of pending constitutional petitions against contesting candidates in the Sindh High Court.”
However, Sindh Election Commissioner Yousaf Khattak in a statement said that the date was extended because of administrative issues.
The National Assembly seat from Ghotki fell vacant after the death of federal minister for narcotics control Ali Mohammad Mahar.
Earlier this month, the PPP had alleged that the federal government was directly interfering in the by-elections.
It may be noted that PM Imran Khan also visited Ghotki. He was issued a notice by the ECP over the code of conduct.
The notice issued to the PM had stated that “being a member of the parliament and holding the chair of the prime minister, you [Imran] were fully aware of the announcement schedule of the by-election … which requires that you cannot visit the constituency in any manner.”
In his response, the PM had told the commission that he had not violated any provisions of the commission’s code of conduct by visiting Ghotki ahead of the NA-205 by-election.
