ECP reserves verdict on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday reserved its verdict in the case concerning local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said the decision would be announced on Wednesday, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The bench was headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. During the hearing, the commission examined a request from the provincial government to defer the local government elections, according to APP.

The chief election commissioner observed that political governments, and not the commission, were reluctant to hold local polls.

The Nation also reported that the commission had reserved its verdict on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government elections, carrying the same headline-level fact and no further detail of the proceedings.

Neither report set out the grounds on which the provincial government sought a postponement, the date to which it asked for the polls to be pushed back, or the arguments made by other parties to the case. APP's account of the hearing was published truncated, ending at the reference to the provincial government's request to defer the elections, and did not record the commission's exchange with the provincial government's counsel or with any other party.

The commission's order, reserved on Tuesday and expected in open court on Wednesday, will determine how the case proceeds. The reports carried no indication of whether a polling schedule for the province has been fixed.

Local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been the subject of a pending case before the commission. Tuesday's hearing was held by a bench constituted under the chief election commissioner, who has repeatedly said in public remarks that the commission is ready to hold local polls and that delays lie with the political governments concerned.

A decision against further postponement would clear the way for the commission to announce a schedule, while a ruling in the provincial government's favour would leave the elections deferred. The commission has not said which way the order will go.