President Dr Arif Alvi has announced to hold elections in Punjab on April 30, choosing a date after the ECP wrote a letter to the Head of the State, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The president announced the date for the Punjab Assembly elections after receiving a letter from the Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday. 

The electoral body has suggested dates for conducting the polls in Punjab between April 30 and May 7. The president picked April 30 for holding elections.

https://twitter.com/PresOfPakistan/status/1631609879327657986

Earlier in the day, in the light of Supreme Court order regarding announcement of date for polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days, the Election Commission of Pakistan wrote a letter to President Arif Alvi and the KP governor.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the Election Commission held on Friday under the chair of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The meeting was attended by ECP members and other senior officers. 

According to the ECP press release, the commission in the light of Supreme Court’s order has sent a letter to President Alvi and suggested dates for holding elections in Punjab from April 30 to May 7.

The ECP is ready to perform its constitutional and legal duties after the final date to be announced by the President, the press release said.

It further stated that the Election Commission has also sent a letter to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor who has been told that the commission is waiting for his response after the Supreme Court’s ruling. 

PTI hails ECP action 

The PTI hailed the step taken by the Election Commission of Pakistan saying that it’s a victory for the people and democracy in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab. 

Fawad Chaudhry posted on his Twitter handle: “By recommending the date for election in Punjab, the Election Commission has taken a step in the right direction by implementing the orders of the Supreme Court, which is a victory for the people and democracy of Pakistan, Punjab. Tomorrow we are launching our campaign and Imran Khan will start rallies from next week.”

https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1631592599784914944

 

Reporters Usman Khan and Awais Kiyani