ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja said on Tuesday that the imposition of section 144 was the authority of the provincial government.

He said the Punjab chief secretary and provincial police chief expressed their reservations regarding the situation of peace in the province. The CEC said there were security reservations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and he asked the KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali to inform about the election day in writing.

He said article 218 of the constitution was related to free and fair elections and in this regard, he asked for almost 353,000 security personnel besides the police. He said the security institutions gave a signal to provide a quick response force while saying they also showed concerns over the security situation of KP and Punjab. He added the Election Commission of Pakistan would hold the elections as per the order of the Supreme Court.