PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has called a meeting of the relevant authorities to assess law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for holding general elections, according to sources.

They said that the meeting was called when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali sought the chief minister’s assessment on law and order in the province for holding polls.

Official sources said that Ghulam Ali sought Azam Khan’s assessment on February 5 regarding the security situation in the province. They added that a meeting was called earlier but it was later postponed after the transfer of provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari.

“The meeting, to be held tomorrow [Tuesday], will be attended by officials from police, home and tribal affairs and other relevant departments where the caretaker chief minister will be briefed on the security situation,” a senior official said. He added that a decision would be made if the situation was appropriate for holding general elections.

Earlier, the governor hinted at delaying the general elections owing to the prevailing law and order situation in the province. However, on February 5, he wrote a letter to the caretaker chief minister and sought his assessment on security situation for holding general elections.

“You are requested to assess the security situation in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and appraise as to whether the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in view of the current situation, is in a position to provide requite security for the peaceful conduct of the general elections to the provincial assembly,” said the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.

Governor has sought his assessment on law and order for the purpose

Officials stated when the governor didn’t hear back from the chief minister for five days, a reminder was sent to him to seek an early reply to the February 5 letter.

The reminder was sent on February 10 to the caretaker chief minister by the governor, who desired to be informed about the situation in the province at the earliest to proceed further in connection with polls.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved in January this year and a caretaker chief minister was appointed. Soon after the caretaker setup was installed, on January 26, the Election Commission of Pakistan suggested that elections for the provincial assembly should be held between April 15 and 17.

However, in the response, the governor hinted at a possible delay in elections linking the electoral exercise with the improvement of security and economic situation in the province.

The governor, on February 1, also wrote a letter to the Islamabad-based chief election commissioner and urged him to consult all stakeholders, including political parties, before deciding a date for the provincial assembly elections in view of the “alarming” law and order situation in the province.

“It is the ECP’s job to hold elections. If the law and order situation here improves, I won’t have any issues with the provincial assembly polls being held even within 75 days instead of the maximum 90 days,” the governor told a news conference on February 3.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2023