Pakistan EC meets to decide poll dates
A meeting of Pakistan's Election Commission started on Monday to decide the fate of scheduled January 8 elections, a day after Opposition parties decided to contest the vote, an official said.
By Agencies |
ISLAMABAD: A meeting of Pakistan's Election Commission started on Monday to decide the fate of scheduled January 8 elections, a day after Opposition parties decided to contest the vote, an official said.
The polls, seen as a key step in the nuclear-armed nation's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule, have been thrown into disarray by the slaying of former premier Benazir Bhutto and deadly unrest that followed.
"The meeting has started, the Chief Election Commission is presiding over it," a senior government official said without giving further details.
Bhutto's party said on Sunday it would contest the vote despite her assassination, a move that persuaded fellow Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif to renounce his earlier boycott and rejoin the fray.
It also said it would not accept any delay in the polls, after a member of Pakistan's former ruling party said that a delay of up to 12 weeks was likely.
More than 40 election offices destroyed: Official
More than 40 election offices have been "destroyed" in one Pakistan province alone in the unrest after Benazir Bhutto's assassination, a senior government official said on Monday.
"More than 40 offices have been destroyed in Sindh province alone. Election work has been severely hampered," said the official, who added that the January 8 vote would likely be delayed several weeks.
The polls, seen as a key step in the nuclear-armed nation's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule, have been thrown into disarray by the slaying of former premier Benazir Bhutto and deadly unrest that followed.
"The meeting has started, the Chief Election Commission is presiding over it," a senior government official said without giving further details.
Bhutto's party said on Sunday it would contest the vote despite her assassination, a move that persuaded fellow Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif to renounce his earlier boycott and rejoin the fray.
It also said it would not accept any delay in the polls, after a member of Pakistan's former ruling party said that a delay of up to 12 weeks was likely.
More than 40 election offices destroyed: Official
ADVERTISEMENT
More than 40 election offices have been "destroyed" in one Pakistan province alone in the unrest after Benazir Bhutto's assassination, a senior government official said on Monday.
"More than 40 offices have been destroyed in Sindh province alone. Election work has been severely hampered," said the official, who added that the January 8 vote would likely be delayed several weeks.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
