ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator said on Thursday it had not decided on a date yet to release the schedule for upcoming polls, amid widespread fears that elections in the country would be delayed once again.
Elections in Pakistan were originally expected to take place in November after the country’s national and two provincial assemblies were dissolved in August before reaching the end of their tenure. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to redraw hundreds of national and provincial constituencies based on a digital census carried out in April, before arranging the electoral contest.
Given Pakistan’s uncertain political environment and precarious security situation, local media outlets have continued to speculate about the possibility of elections being delayed beyond Feb. 8. The government has repeatedly said it would not delay polls beyond Feb. 8.
A report in the Pakistani newspaper The News claimed the ECP would announce the much-awaited schedule on Sunday, Dec. 17. The report further said the regulator would start receiving nomination papers from candidates from Dec. 18.
“No specific date has been determined for the announcement of the election schedule,” ECP’s Public Relations Officer Durriya Amir told Arab News. “The Election Commission retains the authority to issue it at any given day or time.”
Separately, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan told Arab News the media reports were “not true.”
Political analysts have said polls would bring some stability to Pakistan, following more than a year of political turmoil in the country after former prime minister Imran Khan’s ouster from office in April 2022.
Khan, who has been in jail since August after his conviction in a case involving the sale of state gifts, is facing a string of legal charges. The cricketer-turned-politician denies all charges, saying they are politically motivated to keep him and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party away from polls.
He has accused Pakistan’s powerful military, with whom he had a falling out toward the later part of his tenure, of having a hand in his ouster and cracking down on his supporters. The military has repeatedly denied Khan’s allegations.
Regulator says no date decided yet to release Pakistan’s election schedule amid delay fears
https://arab.news/jq58s
Regulator says no date decided yet to release Pakistan’s election schedule amid delay fears
- Local media reports claimed Pakistani regulator would release election schedule on Sunday
- Elections in Pakistan are due to be held on Feb. 8 but political analysts fear they may be delayed further
Pakistan terms climate change, demographic pressures as ‘pressing existential risks’
- Pakistan has suffered frequent climate change-induced disasters, including floods this year that killed over 1,000
- Pakistan finmin highlights stabilization measures at Doha Forum, discusses economic cooperation with Qatar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday described climate change and demographic pressures as “pressing existential risks” facing the country, calling for urgent climate financing.
The finance minister was speaking as a member of a high-level panel at the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum, which is being held from Dec. 6–7 in the Qatari capital. Aurangzeb was invited as a speaker on the discussion titled: ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA.’
“He reaffirmed that while Pakistan remained vigilant in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, the more pressing existential risks were climate change and demographic pressures,” the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has suffered repeated climate disasters in recent years, most notably the 2022 super-floods that submerged one-third of the country, displaced millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses.
This year’s floods killed over 1,000 people and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. Scientists say Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Aurangzeb has previously said climate change and Pakistan’s fast-rising population are the only two factors that can hinder the South Asian country’s efforts to become a $3 trillion economy in the future.
The finance minister noted that this year’s floods in Pakistan had shaved at least 0.5 percent off GDP growth, calling for urgent climate financing and investment in resilient infrastructure.
When asked about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and capability to absorb external shocks, Aurangzeb said Islamabad had rebuilt fiscal buffers. He pointed out that both the primary fiscal balance and current account had returned to surplus, supported significantly by strong remittance inflows of $18–20 billion annually from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.
Separately, Aurangzeb met his Qatari counterpart Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties, particularly by maximizing opportunities created through the newly concluded GCC–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade flows, and deepening energy cooperation, including long-term LNG collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
The two also discussed collaboration on digital infrastructure, skills development and regulatory reform. They agreed to establish structured mechanisms to continue joint work in trade diversification, technology, climate resilience, and investment facilitation, the finance ministry said.
