British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriot, has conducted an “introductory” meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, emphasizing the importance of free and transparent elections in Pakistan.
Marriot shared details of the “significant” meeting with the head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad on Wednesday through a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
In her post, she stated, “We agreed that it’s crucial the country sees free, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections in line with the law.”
This meeting between the UK envoy and CEC Raja comes at a pivotal moment when Pakistan awaits the announcement of the next general polls. However, the election timeline remains uncertain due to the ongoing issue of constituency delimitation following the digital census conducted earlier this year.
This isn’t the first instance of a foreign envoy meeting with the ECP chief and commenting on the conduct of general elections in Pakistan. Last month, United States Ambassador Donald Blome also met with CEC Raja to reaffirm his country’s support for “free and fair elections.” He emphasized the United States’ commitment to strengthening its relationship with Pakistan, regardless of the choice made by the Pakistani people.
The timing of the elections in Pakistan remains a contentious issue, especially following the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9 by the government led by Shehbaz Sharif. Additionally, the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies were prematurely dissolved to facilitate elections within 90 days.
Under the law, elections should be held within 60 days if the legislature completes its constitutional term, but the deadline extends to three months if assemblies are dissolved prematurely.
Furthermore, concerns have arisen regarding the potential delay in the general elections after the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023 just before the dissolution of the assemblies.
