ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator has assured political parties of conducting general elections “as soon as possible,” amid the first round of consultations regarding a roadmap for the polls. 

The development comes days after President Arif Alvi wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to fix an “appropriate” date for the upcoming elections in Pakistan, saying he was obligated to fix the date for polls within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9. 

However, the CEC said on Thursday the president was not authorized to fix the date for upcoming polls following amendments to the country’s electoral laws. The upcoming polls, originally due in November, are likely to be delayed as the outgoing government of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the results of a new population census days before its term ended. 

The ECP is now bound to redraw hundreds of provincial and federal constituencies on the basis of the latest census results, an exercise the commission says will be finalized by December 14. It may effectively delay the elections beyond the 90-day limit. 

“The election commission assured the representatives of both parties that it is trying to hold the election as soon as possible and it will ensure that all parties have equal opportunities in the polls,” the ECP said in a statement. 

“The transparency of polls will be ensured,” it said, adding the process of consultation with political parties would continue. 

Members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party urged the ECP to ensure the conduct of polls within 90 days of the assembly’s dissolution as enshrined in the constitution. 

“The release of the party’s leaders and activists must be ensured,” the statement quoted PTI members as saying. “The party must be allowed to hold rallies.” 

Khan’s PTI has been facing a crackdown since May, when his supporters attacked military and government installations in violent clashed following his brief arrest in a graft case. The ex-premier was again arrested this month after a Pakistani court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, and remains in high-security Attock prison. 

Representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, a coalition partner in the outgoing government, told the ECP that since the census results had officially been published, the regulator should first complete delimitation of electoral constituencies.