Punjab wants by-polls in Lahore, Pindi put off

Punjab wants by-polls in Lahore, Pindi put off

ISLAMABAD: The sure landing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid in the National Assembly after a decade is going to be delayed as the Punjab government is seeking postponement of the by-elections in NA-123 Lahore and NA-55 Rawalpindi, citing serious threats of suicide bombings during the election campaign.

“The provincial government is sending a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), requesting it to defer the by-polls in the two Punjab constituencies of the National Assembly,” a senior PML-N leader told The News.

He said there could be no election campaigning after intelligence reports about the arrival of suicide bombers in major cities. Therefore, the Punjab government is approaching the ECP to put off the by-polls for some time, he added.

The PML-N leader said that Nawaz SharifNawaz Sharif had planned to hold a number of public meetings in NA-123 and NA-55, but none could be arranged due to the threats. However, when contacted, ECP Secretary Kanwar M Dilshad told this correspondent that the Election Commission had not yet received a letter from the Punjab government to the effect. “We will seriously consider such a request and give due weight to the provincial governmentís arguments as we always do while dealing with such matters,” he said.

Dilshad said that it was the chief election commissioner (CEC) who would take the final decision. It has been announced that polling in NA-123 will be held on June 30 and in NA-55 on July 4. Candidates have already filed their nomination papers. An official said there would be no fresh filing of nomination papers if the elections were put off.