‘Slight delay’ in elections possible, says caretaker information minister

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday asserted that there might be a “slight delay” in the upcoming general elections as the Census 2023 had been notified, ARY News reported.

“Once the census is notified, the Election Commission of Pakistan — a constitutional body responsible for conducting elections — needs four months to complete the delimitation exercise,” the caretaker minister said while speaking to an international news channel.

Subsequently, a constitutionally mandated 54-day period was allocated for political parties to conduct election campaigns, Murtaza Solangi added.

He reiterated that the Caretaker government had no role in fixing the election date, as it was solely within the purview of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The information minister said that the date for the upcoming general election would be announced by the electoral watchdog, which was constitutionally responsible to conduct the polls in the country.

Regarding Tuesday’s chairlift incident, the minister commended the joint effort of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force for successfully rescuing all individuals who were stranded on the chairlift in the remote and rugged valley of Hindkush and Korakram mountain ranges in Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The operation was carried out with meticulous coordination, ensuring the safety of the trapped passengers, he said while sharing insights on the rescue operation.

Highlighting the challenges in dissemination of information due to the remote nature of the area, he said the district administration, on receiving the news, approached the provincial and regional administrations that subsequently alerted the federal authorities.

Murtaza Solangi detailed the comprehensive rescue mission, which involved deploying helicopters from the Pakistan Army and Air Force, along with a Commanding Officer from the SSG and his troops who led the efforts on the ground.

He said an extensive inspection of all chairlifts and cable cars in the region had already been initiated by the provincial authorities. The Hazara region had 70 cable cars, including 11 in the specific region where the incident took place.

The minister said the remote area, affected by both climate change and seismic activity, had witnessed natural disasters, including a significant earthquake in 2005 and severe flooding in 2010 that destroyed infrastructure of the area.

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that general elections were impossible within 90 days.

As per details, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided to hold the upcoming general election on the census 2023.

The ECP stated that the commission is bound to carry out the delimitation process. The first publication will be on October 9 and the final on December 14.

The ECP meeting decided to seek assistance from the provincial governments and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in the delimitation process.