Following the National Assembly’s dissolution, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has a 90-day window to hold the general election. This process also entails redrawing constituencies based on the new digital census data. However, the census results have not yet been provided to the ECP.
ECP sources confirmed that they’re awaiting data from 186,509 census blocs to establish a delimitation timeline, although they’ve already received district-specific data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
It’s expected that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics will deliver the remaining blocs’ data to the ECP within a week. Once received, the ECP will need about four months for delimitation, including addressing grievances.
The Council of Common Interests (CCI) approved the first digital census results on August 5, followed by an ECP meeting to discuss the findings. With the census completed, the next step, delimitation, has been given the green light.
National Assembly’s Dissolution and the Upcoming Electoral Challenges
While the ECP has been briefed by its legal team, it’s waiting for full census data to plan its legal obligations for the upcoming elections.
The release of the census results has sparked speculation in political and constitutional sectors.
The National Assembly was dissolved on August 10, triggering the countdown for the ECP to proceed with delimitation. This includes 90 days for the delimitation process and an additional 30 days to address any complaints or objections.
A senior official emphasized the importance of timely data delivery, stating that if the complete census results are provided by August 14 or 15, the ECP will have around 85 or 86 days for the delimitation process.
