ECP reacts to President Arif Alvi’s election statement

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday denied impressions that general elections could see a further delay in the country.

Reacting to President Arif Alvi’s remarks regarding general elections, the election body said that “it is fully prepared to hold polls”.

The ECP said that the schedule for the general elections will be announced immediately after the announcement of the delimitations.

The statement added that the first stage in creating fresh delimitations has already been completed and the second would be completed on October 27. “A final list will be issued by November 30,” the statement added.

However, the ECP did not mention that the elections would be held in the last week of January as announced in its previous statement.

President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday said that he has not received any response from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces yet after sending letters to their governments.

While talking to a private news channel, President Dr Arif Alvi said that he summoned Punjab and KP election commissioners but they did not come to meet him. He added that he had also written a letter to the law minister regarding elections but he replied that the president was unauthorised to question the election date.

He detailed that complaints were raised on the digital census. Alvi said that he suggested holding general elections on November 6 or before but the law ministry issued a statement that the president has no jurisdiction to fix the election date.

Regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, President Alvi said that he has found the PTI chief honest in financial matters and patriot and he also considers him his leader.