ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will release the schedule for the upcoming national polls in December, confirmed its top official on Friday, amid speculations of a possible delay in the electoral exercise despite the release of the final list of constituencies earlier in the day.
The ECP announced last month the vote, originally expected in November and then scheduled for the last week of January, would instead take place on Feb. 8, a date chosen following consultations with the country’s President Dr. Arif Alvi that were requested by the Supreme Court.
Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved by the president on then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice on Aug. 9, setting the stage for a national election amid political and economic crises. A caretaker administration subsequently took over with the constitutional mandate to hold new elections in 90 days.
According to Pakistan’s Geo News, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had a brief and informal chat with journalists after the ECP released the list of national and provincial constituencies for the national polls.
Asked about when the commission planned to release the election scheduled, he said: “Count 54 days backwards from February 8,” suggesting that the announcement could be expected in the third week of December.
Pakistan’s previous administration amended the Elections Act to empower the ECP to fix and announce the election date and specifying the timeline for the announcement of the election schedule which needs to be done about 54 days before the polling day.
The election commissioner also dismissed fears of any further delays in the national polls, saying the ECP had been “proactively handling election-related responsibilities” to ensure fair and transparent electoral contest in the country.
Pakistan’s election regulator to announce national poll schedule in December, dismisses rumors of delay
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Pakistan’s election regulator to announce national poll schedule in December, dismisses rumors of delay
- The ECP has already published the final list of national and provincial constituencies ahead of the polls
- The Feb. 8 elections were originally meant to take place in November and were rescheduled for Jan.
Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials reaffirm strong ties, discuss trade and regional issues
- The statement comes after Pakistani and Bangladeshi foreign ministry officials’ meeting in Jeddah on the sidelines of an OIC session
- Pakistan, Bangladesh, which split in 1971, have moved closer since the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina, an India ally, in Aug. 2024
ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani and Bangladeshi officials on Sunday reaffirmed the strength of their relations as they discussed bilateral, regional and global issues, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
The statement came after a meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of an extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over bilateral ties. Both countries have moved closer since 2024, following the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina who was considered an India ally.
The two foreign ministry officials discussed a range of regional and global issues as well bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, according to a Pakistani foreign ministry statement.
“Both dignitaries expressed satisfaction over the robustness of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations,” the statement read. “They discussed bilateral relations in diverse fields, especially high-level exchanges, trade, and educational collaboration.”
Dar arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the 22nd OIC Council of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah on Jan. 10 to discuss Israel’s move last month to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as a separate nation. The act has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim nations worldwide.
Muslim countries, including Pakistan, believe the move could be part of Tel Aviv’s plan to forcibly relocate Palestinian Muslims to Somaliland. Several international news outlets last year reported that Israel had contacted Somaliland over the potential resettlement of Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza.
“We believe that such recognition of an integral part of a sovereign state is not a diplomatic act, but an act of political aggression that sets a perilous precedent, threatening peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and beyond,” Dar told participants of the meeting in Jeddah.
The Pakistani foreign minister said Islamabad considers the move a flagrant violation of international law and a direct assault on the territorial integrity of Somalia. He called on all states to refrain from engaging with Somaliland authorities.
