KARACHI: All is set for holding by-elections on eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly seats on Sunday (tomorrow) with unprecedented security measures in place to deal with any untoward situation.
The election campaign for the by-elections came to a halt on Friday night and the voting will be held on Sunday (October 16). The eight National Assembly seats became vacant after the PTI lawmakers resigned. By-election on another National Assembly seat NA-45 Kurram has been deferred due to the law and order situation.
By-elections will take place in 11 constituencies, including six in Punjab, three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two constituencies of Sindh. The constituencies included NA-22 Mardan-III, NA-24 Charsadda-II, NA-31 Peshawar-V, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib -II, NA 157 Multan-IV, NA-237 Malir-II, NA-239 Korangi, Karachi-I.
Provincial Assembly constituencies included PP-139, Sheikhupura-V, PP-209, Khanewal VII, and PP- 241 Bahawalnagar V. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan is contesting by-elections on seven out of eight constituencies of the National Assembly.
The NA seats were vacated after speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had accepted the resignations of PTI MNAs on July 28 – nine on general seats and two on reserved seats for women. The lawmakers whose resignations were accepted were part of more than 120 who had resigned from their NA seats en masse on April 11 last, two days after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from the top office in a no-confidence vote.
All the polling material including ballot papers, boxes and polling bags have been delivered to the relevant destinations amid tight security. Returning Officers office are also engaged in the distribution of the polling material.
According to ECP, no candidate or party leader would address gatherings or corner meetings or take out processions in their respective constituencies after the deadline expired. The political parties and the candidates must follow the provision of law and exercise self-restraint to enable polls could be held in peaceful manner on October 16, 2022. Legal action would be taken against those political leaders and parties on violating the rule.