General elections: ECP invites major political parties for consultation

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday invited major political parties to hold consultation on upcoming general elections in the country, ARY News reported.

As per details, the electoral watchdog has decided to consult leaders of major political parties to decide a roadmap for the upcoming elections in the country.

The ECP has invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) president Fazalur Rehman to appear on Thursday.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman are invited to appear on Friday and August 29, respectively.

The PTI chief has been asked to participate in the meeting in-person or through representatives at 2pm on Thursday.

According to the letter, matters related to delimitation of constituencies, updation of electoral rolls, conduct of general election and election schedule will came under discussion.

Earlier, The (ECP) had cautioned the federal and provincial caretaker governments against getting involved in any political activities that might undermine the smooth conduct of elections.

Read More: ECP stops Punjab caretaker set-up from exceeding powers

In letters written to caretaker governments, the electoral watchdog affirmed that the regimes must refrain from any actions aimed at exerting influence on the elections or engaging in any activities that could, in any way, impact or compromise the integrity of free and fair elections.

“The caretaker governments, as apolitical bodies, are authorised to make decisions or take steps pertaining to ongoing bilateral or multilateral agreements, as well as projects that have been previously initiated under the Public Private Partnership Authority Act 2017.”

Read: General elections: ECP constitutes high-powered oversight panel

The ECP cautioned the caretaker administrations to confine themselves to the authority granted to them by the Elections Act, 2017.