Pakistan’s Election Body Delays Voting for Punjab Assembly; Financial Woes Cited as Main Reason
Last Updated: March 23, 2023, 03:53 IST
A view of election campaign banners near the cordoned crime scene after a shooting incident on a long march held by Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Wazirabad, Pakistan November 4, 2022. (Image: Reuters
The elections for the Punjab Legislative Assembly, which were to be held on April 30, were delayed until Oct. 8
Pakistan’s elections oversight body on Wednesday delayed elections for a regional assembly after the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif refused to provide the necessary funds and polling staff citing financial constraints.
The elections for the Punjab Legislative Assembly, which were to be held on April 30, were delayed until Oct. 8.
The move drew criticism from former prime minister and current opposition leader Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
The decision comes months after Khan’s party dissolved the regional assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a failed bid to force snap national elections.
Since his ouster last April in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, Khan has been demanding early elections. Sharif has dismissed the demand and elections are scheduled for later this year.
Sharif wants national elections and the voting for regional assemblies held on the same day.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)