Punjab, KP elections likely to be delayed till new Census results

ISLAMABAD: The election of Punjab and KP assemblies likely to be delayed after fresh population census, quoting sources ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to sources, the government mulling over delaying elections of the two provincial legislatures till results of the new housing and population census compiled.

The new population census will begin on February 1st and will continue till March 31, sources said. “The results of new census will be released in April,” according to sources.

Sources said that the government will refer the issue of postponing elections to the court, sources claimed.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal had recently said that general elections in Pakistan are only possible after the population census and consequent delimitation of the constituencies.

” Imran Khan himself had decided in the meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in April 2021, that the new elections would be held only after new population census,” Iqbal said.

He said that the census results would be published by April 30, following which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will start the delimitation exercise which will take up to four months to be completed.