Pakistan: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that the delayed national elections will take place in February 2024.
“It was unanimously decided that the election will be held on Thursday, February 8,” the ECP said in a statement.
They announced it after a discussion with the Pakistani President, Mr. Arif Alvi. A temporary government has taken over Pakistan after parliament was dissolved on August 9, 2023.
The elections were supposed to take place within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament, but the ECP said it needed time to adjust constituent boundaries under the new census.
There are concerns about the integrity of the upcoming elections because the country’s main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its leader, former Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan, have experienced a widespread crackdown over the past few months. This has raised doubts about the ability of the caretaker government and the ECP to conduct impartial elections.
Mr. Khan and his government were removed in April last year through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. The 70-year-old leader, who had been campaigning for early elections after being ousted, was arrested on August 5, 2023, on corruption charges.
A court later halted a three-year prison sentence for Mr. Khan. However, he was jailed for charges related to the cypher case, in which he was accused of disclosing the contents of a diplomatic cable for political advantage.
It happened when Pakistan was facing a severe economic crisis. Accordingly, in June 2023, the International Monetary Fund granted a $3 billion bailout package.
RELATED | Pakistan reaches $3bn agreement with IMF
