Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad: Pakistan's Election Commission will decide on Tuesday whether to hold the general elections as scheduled on January 8 though there were indications that the polls might be delayed briefly following violent protests against the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.

An emergency meeting of the poll panel chaired today by Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq sought reports from poll officials and caretaker governments in the four provinces about the impact of the protests on election arrangements and the law and order situation.

The Election Commission directed provincial officials to submit their reports by this evening. Another meeting of the EC to be held tomorrow will decide whether the parliamentary polls should be held on schedule or postponed, officials said.

"We are yet to decide on holding or postponing the polls," EC Secretary Kanwar Dilshad told reporters after the meeting.

"We have sought reports on damages, the law and order situation and prevailing atmosphere from the Provincial Election Commissions and the Chief Secretaries by 1800 hours on Monday," he said.

Other officials, however, said the polls might be briefly postponed for "technical reasons" such as the destruction of electoral rolls and ballot boxes in many parts of Sindh during the protests after Bhutto's assassination on Thursday. Sindh, a stronghold of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, had witnessed the fiercest protests.

Reports suggested that the polls could be put off for a short while to allow the Commission to complete its preparations.

Dilshad said the poll panel would discuss a number of issues before reaching a decision. "We have to look into all the pros and cons before making any decision about holding or postponing the polls," he said.

In response to a question, he said the polling for the national and provincial assemblies would be held on the same day.

The EC also condoled the death of Bhutto.

Political parties are keenly awaiting the EC'S decision so that they can map out their future strategy.

The PPP has said it favours the holding of polls on January 8 while the PML-Q, which backs President Pervez Musharraf, has indicated that it wants a brief postponement.

In a statement issued on December 29, the EC had said that pre-poll arrangements, including the printing of ballot papers and training of poll personnel, had been "adversely affected" by the protests against Bhutto's assassination.

It also said that all electoral rolls and ballot boxes had been destroyed when its offices in nine districts in Sindh province were burnt by protestors. Sectarian clashes in the tribal Kurram Agency had also created a situation that "is not conducive" to the holding of polls, the panel said.

Source : PTI