From Abid Usman
LAHORE: In the wake of ongoing flood disruptions across the province, the Punjab by-elections that were scheduled for nine constituencies have been officially postponed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), media reported.
In an official notification, ECP has indicated that polling has been delayed for five National Assembly seats, along with four Punjab Assembly seats.
Earlier, the Punjab by-elections were being conducted as three PTI lawmakers had been disqualified and due to the death of MNA Mian Muhammad Azhar.
The disqualified PTI members were Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar, and MNA Ahmed Chattha. All three had lost their seats after being convicted in cases related to the May 9 riots.
The decision has been taken due to the flood emergency, which is worsening conditions in affected areas, where rescue teams and authorities are busy commencing relief operations, and transportation concerns have delayed election preparations.
According to the notification, elections in NA-96 and NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), and NA-143 (Sahiwal) have been postponed, along with provincial assembly polls in PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), and PP-203 (Sahiwal).
The decision has been made after many hurdles with the transportation system. Roads and bridges have been washed away, and there is a lot of damage to public and private buildings, such as schools and voting places.
Notification further highlighted that the revised schedule for the Punjab by-elections will be announced later.
In addition to the problems, several Returning Officers (ROs) could not finalise polling staff appointments due to accessibility problems and dislocation in flood-affected areas.
The step has been taken to ensure transparency in the conduct of elections once the conditions return to normal.
Also, it aligns with managerial processes to the current flood emergency, which has already led to the postponement of Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) exams and disrupted civic infrastructure.
