Pakistan General Elections To Be Held On February 8

The agreement was reached after a meeting was held between the two on the directives of the Supreme Court (SC).

President Arif Alvi and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reached an agreement on holding general elections on February 8. The agreement was reached after a meeting was held between the two on the directives of the Supreme Court (SC). Subsequently, the ECP had sprung into action and a delegation headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja met with the president at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad.

Earlier today, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had informed the Supreme Court that general elections will be held on February 11, Dawn reported. Sajeel Swati, lawyer for the electoral board, stated that the delimitation process will be finished by January 29, setting the stage for elections.

He made the announcement as the Supreme Court continued considering a series of petitions demanding for elections to be held within 90 days following the dissolution of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the PTI, Munir Ahmad, and Ibad-ur-Rehman filed their petitions before a three-judge bench comprised of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah.

During today's session, the CJP asked the electoral body for a clear stance on elections, to which the ECP counsel replied that there was a 54-day timeline following the delimitation process. "All arrangements, including the drawing of constituencies, will be completed by January 29," Swati said, adding that the final list of constituencies will be revealed on Dec 5. 

He informed the court that the electoral board had planned to hold elections on a Sunday for the convenience of the public.

“Hence we decided that elections will be held on Feb 11, which is the second Sunday,” the lawyer was quoted by the Dawn in its report. 

Following that, CJP Isa questioned the ECP if President Arif Alvi was involved in the matter, to which Swati replied, "we are not obligated to include the president."

"The president and the ECP are both Pakistanis. Why is the ECP hesitant to consult with the president?”  he stated, and subsequently instructed, that the electoral body examine the matter with Alvi today and report back to the court within 30 minutes.

Later, Secretary Omar Hamid Khan told Geo News that the meeting with the president will take place "shortly."