ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the schedule of the local government elections in Punjab and Sindh at the request of the two provincial governments, citing security reason during Muharram-ul-Haram.
In a press release issued on Friday, the ECP said that now the polling for the first phase of local government polls in Punjab and Sindh would be held on October 31, and for which a detail schedule would be issued on August 26.
The ECP also announced three phased programme for holding local government elections in Punjab and Sindh provinces.
It said that it would hold the second and third phases of local bodies elections in the two provinces on November 19 and December 3 respectively. The ECP said that the schedule for the second phase would be announced on September 3 while for the third phase would be issued on September 31.
The ECP said that the Commission extended the schedule after the provincial governments had requested it to re-consider the holding of local bodies polls in Punjab and Sindh on October 12 because law-enforcement agencies would be engaged in maintenance of law and order situation across the two provinces during Muharram-ul-Haram.
Earlier on Wednesday, the ECP had issued the proposed schedule for the first phase of local government elections in Punjab and Sindh, according to which polls in two provinces were to take place on October 12, 2015.
