–ECP says polling postponed in erstwhile FATA due to security situation
PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday postponed polling on the 16 seats of the tribal districts recently merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to ECP Spokesman Altaf Khan, the polling was postponed on the request of the provincial government amid law and order situation in the area.
The KP government had requested the supreme electoral body to adjourn the polling in the tribal districts to ensure law and order situation as the area was under cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.
The decision to postpone the polling was taken out in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (r) Sardar Raza Khan in Islamabad.
“Polling in the erstwhile FATA will be held on July 20”, the spokesperson said.
A private media outlet reported on Tuesday that “representatives of the KP government would attend a meeting on Wednesday and brief the commission on reasons [for seeking a delay in the polls]”. It also reported that the “interior ministry would also be represented [at the meeting]”.
Earlier the polling was scheduled to take place on July 2.
The election commission had in April notified district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) for general elections in the tribal districts.
Over 2.5 million voters will exercise universal suffrage to elect their representatives for the provincial legislature. There are at least 1.03 million registered women voters in the seven merged districts.
