The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government announced on Thursday that they have agreed to hold the second phase of the local body polls in March.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case. The provincial chief secretary appeared before the commission.
“The second phase of local body elections in K-P will be held on March 27,” said the CEC. The decision was made during the hearing of a petition filed by MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi.
It merits mentioning here that the chief secretary remarked that the KP government had requested to hold the first phase of LG elections in December 2021 and the second phase in May 2022.
The commissioner, however, maintained that the provincial government had agreed that the second phase of the LG polls would be held before Ramadan.
“Since the month of Ramadan would begin from April 3 or 4, it will be too late if elections are held in May,” the chief election commissioner said.
To this, the secretary requested the commission to hold LG body elections by the end of March 2022.
“The last Sunday of that month would fall on March 27,” the CEC responded.
Earlier, the KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had given a directive to ensure foolproof security for the second phase of local bodies elections in the province, saying that the incidents of violence that happened during the first phase of elections should not occur again.
He was briefed about the matters related to the peaceful holding of upcoming local bodies polls in the remaining 18 districts of the province during a meeting with Chief Secretary Shahzad Bangash and Inspector General of Police Muazzam Jah Ansari.
Meanwhile, the newly elected tehsil chairman from Meeryan in district Bannu Pir Kamal Shah called on the KP chief minister and formally announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf along with his associates Malik Adnan and Iqbal Jadoon.
Pir Kamal Shah was elected tehsil chairman from tehsil Meeryan as an independent candidate. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister welcomed him into the PTI fold and said that his joining will further strengthen the party in the district.
He expressed the hope that the newly elected chairman will keep the service of the people above his political affiliations and will come up to the expectations of the residents in connection with the resolution of their problems.
