The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday suspended the electoral process on four provincial assembly seats after the death of two candidates.
The commission further said that the schedule for by-elections would be announced at a later date.
The constituencies in which elections have been postponed include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) PK-78, Balochistan’s constituency of PB-35, Punjab Assembly PP-87 and Sindh Assembly PS-87. Elections in the aforesaid four constituencies would be held after the general elections.
On July 12, ECP Secretary Babar Fateh said that the authorities concerned had been asked to provide security to political leaders and candidates during their campaigns, including corner meetings. The statement came two days after the Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour and 19 other people were killed in a blast during the party’s electioneering rally in Peshawar.
On July 13, a suicide bomber targeting a political rally of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) killed at least 149 people and injured over 200, the deadliest in a string of attacks on electioneering that have heightened security fears ahead of the
elections. Among those slain was the candidate for PB-35 (Mastung) Siraj Raisani.
Published in Daily Times, July 18th 2018.
