Election Commission postpones elections in four constituencies
88 candidates die days before general elections,
Islamabad_ECP on Friday decided to postpone the elections in the four constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies’ seats due to the deaths of the candidates.
Those constituencies where the elections had been delayed were NA-8 Bajaur, PK-22 Bajaur, PK-91 Kohat, and PP-262.
According to the electoral watchdog, after the new schedule is issued for these constituencies, the candidates will be able to submit their nomination papers.
On Thursday, ECP Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja vowed that the country will not witness the internet outage during the forthcoming elections, slated to happen on February 8.
Speaking to media in Islamabad, Raja said, “It has been assured that security will be provided during the elections.” The ECP CEC reiterated that the general elections will be held on February 8 at any cost.
“We have full confidence in law enforcement agencies (LEAs). We have no enmity towards anybody and are serving the country.”
Raja said, ”All the political parties are equal for us. It was after the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyers held a meeting with us [ECP].”
“The PTI’s nomination papers had been submitted more than any other parties. We will see the matter pertaining to the PTI intraparty elections when we receive any information,” Raja said.
As many as 88 candidates in the race for national and provincial assemblies’ seats have died before the general elections.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, nine candidates contesting for the National Assembly and 79 for the provincial assemblies have passed away due to various reasons.
Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate for the National Assembly and KP provincial assembly seats, was gunned down during his election campaign.
Sources say elections have been postponed due to the murder of independent candidate Rehan Zeb from NA-8 Bajaur and KP Assembly constituency 22.
Moreover, Ismatullah, a candidate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituency 91 Kohat, died on Jan 30.
Explosion rocks Karachi near ECP office, no causalities,
An explosion occurred near the Provincial Election Commission office in Karachi on Friday, prompting swift response from law enforcement authorities.
According to SSP South Sajid Saduzai, the explosives were placed inside a bag left on the side of a footpath. The bomb, thankfully, did not cause any significant damage.
“A young man cleaning a car saw the suspicious bag and parked it on the curb,” SSP Saduzai explained. “After a while, there was a minor explosion.”
Fortunately, the bomb, assembled from materials found inside a shopper, resulted in a minor explosion without causing any casualties or damage. According to Saduzai, CCTV footage from the vicinity is under examination to shed light on the incident.
ECP says ‘no’ to postponement of general elections
Expressing concern, Saduzai speculated that the blast might be part of a wider conspiracy aimed at instilling fear and chaos.
As a precautionary measure, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) has been summoned to the scene, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the city’s ongoing security challenges.
