By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday said the decision on the country’s poll date would be taken Wednesday after consultations with political parties, even as a senior official indicated that the scheduled Jan 8 voting may be delayed by four to five weeks.
“We have started contacting the political parties and hopefully will have a dialogue with them this evening,” Secretary ECP Kanwar M. Dilshad told reporters after a meeting on whether the elections should be postponed.
Earlier Monday, the ECP had said it would take decide Tuesday on whether to hold the elections as scheduled or delay them in view of the widespread violence after last week’s assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Dilshad told reporters that several ECP offices have been damaged in various cities. “In such a situation it seems difficult to make arrangements for the polls as scheduled,” said Dilshad hinting at the postponement.
Another ECP official echoing Dilshad’s views said holding the elections on scheduled date would be impossible.
“We don’t think that it would be possible for the commission to hold elections on Jan 8. We have received very negative reports from many parts of the country,” the official told IANS before the meeting took place.
The ECP had asked its district officials to send reports on the losses incurred as protestors set more than 40 ECP offices on fire following Bhutto’s assassination. The agitating protestors also burnt election material and destroyed records in many parts of the country, particularly in Bhutto’s home province Sind.
The official said that in such a situation, the ECP needed time to prepare for the elections.
Another likely reason for the delay in the polls is that the Islamic month of Muharram, during which Shia Muslims mourn the death of Imam Hussian, Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, starts Jan 10.
“We believe that we need at least 10 days but due to Muharram, we’ll have to delay the polls for four to five weeks,” the official said.
Dilshad said provincial governments had been asked to report on the security situation following the unrest and all have recommended the month of Muharram be taken into consideration before deciding on poll dates.