No general elections before Feb 15’: Kanwar Dilshad

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, former chief secretary of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), said he did not see the next general elections to be held before February 15, 2024, as Council of Common Interest (CCI) unanimously approved Digital Census 2023.

The former ECP secretary pointed out that a fresh delimitation exercise, which takes around four to six months, would make it impossible to conduct the general polls due before October 12 this year.

Kanwar Dilshad further said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is legally bound to hold a fresh delimitation exercise, noting that the next elections are likely to be delayed till February 2024.

In response to a question, Dilshad said that increasing the national and provincial assemblies’ seats was not possible without a two-thirds majority.

Responding to another question, he noted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan will have to relinquish the party’s chairmanship after Islamabad High Court awarded three years jail term to him in Toshakhana criminal case.

Earlier in the day, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approved the results of the digital Population and Housing Census 2023.

The approval of digital census results was the key agenda of the CCI session today with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in chair.

The Ministry of Planning and Development briefed the CCI session on the digital census results for approval from the constitutional forum.

Recently, PM Shehbaz Sharif hinted at the possibility of dissolving the National Assembly (NA) on August 9.

Addressing a farewell dinner arranged for parliamentarians, PM Shehbaz said that consultation will be held with the coalition parties and together with the opposition leader the name of the caretaker prime minister will be finalised. (NNI)