Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elections in April : ECP advises

The Election Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday recommended the caretaker governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to hold provincial elections from April 9-13 and April 15-17, respectively.

The KP Assembly was dissolved on Jan 18 just four days after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly on Jan 14.Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi was sworn in as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab on Jan 22, while Mohammad Azam Khan had taken oath as the KP chief executive on Jan 21, respectively, after the dissolution of the two assemblies.

The ECP cited Article 224 of the Constitution, stipulating the holding of the general election of an assembly within 90 days of the legislature’s dissolution.

In letters addressed to the principal secretaries to the governor of both provinces, the ECP recommended holding elections in April, citing Article 224 of the Constitution that states that elections for a dissolved assembly should take place within 90 days.

As per the article, “when the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly is dissolved, a general election to the Assembly shall be held within a period of ninety days after the dissolution, and the results of the election shall be declared not later than fourteen days after the conclusion of the polls.”

The electoral body said Punjab elections should be held before April 13 while told KP elections should be held before April 17.