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.
Islamic Development Bank, Pakistan sign $603 million loan deals to fund development projects
- The projects concern Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, poverty graduation of flood-affectees and out-of-school children
- The poverty graduation project will be implemented in 25 districts, including five districts most affected by floods
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed three loan agreements worth about $603 million to finance multiple development projects, the Pakistani information ministry said on Tuesday.
The agreements relating to M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway Project, Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood Affected Households Project (PGEP), and the Out-of-School Children project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were formalized in Islamabad, following talks between Pakistan’s Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema and an IsDB delegation, led by Vice President Dr. Rami Ahmad.
Under the agreements, IsDB will provide financing of $475 million for the M-6 Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway, a key link to the proposed Peshawar-Karachi Motorway. Pakistan signed the second agreement with IsDB to launch the Poverty Graduation of Extremely Poor and Flood
Affected Households (PGEP) project, aimed at transitioning ultra-poor households from dependency on cash assistance to sustainable livelihoods, resilience and economic self-reliance.
“PGEP has a total outlay of $134.2 million, of which IsDB will contribute USD 118.4 million. The Project will be implemented in 25 districts (20 districts selected based on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI 2024) and 5 most flood-affected districts of the 2022 and 2025 floods,” the information ministry said.
“The project aims to reach 160,866 households and create 100,000 employment opportunities through integrated asset transfers, interest-free loans, skills development, rainwater harvesting, climate-smart agriculture, and business service providers’ interventions. The PGEP reflects the Government’s commitment to shifting from consumption-based safety nets to graduation-focused, resilience-driven development, aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
IsDB will provide another $10 million for the Out-of-School Children project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which would help bring about 60,000 children back into classrooms and support training for 4,000 teachers.
“The minister for economic affairs acknowledged and appreciated the continued IsDB support for Pakistan,” the information ministry said. “The IsDB vice president expressed that IsDB was keen on further expanding cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of mutual interest.”
In May last year, IsDB announced funding a Pakistani project to reactivate out-of-work women doctors, while the bank announced a $100 million loan to support Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts in Dec. 2023.
