Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Raza Khan said Tuesday that the decision of holding re-elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not a child's play. Strongly reacting the statement of Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), CEC said that any decision on whether or not to hold re-elections in the province will be taken by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Imran Khan announced that his party is ready to hold local bodies' elections again in KP province in response to allegations of rigging by the opposition.
Chief Minister KP Pervez Khattak's close relative Liaquat Khattak, who is accused of influencing the election process, appeared before the Commission for hearing on Tuesday. The CEC conducted the hearing a case. During the hearing, the chief election commissioner remarked that the KP police were not vigilant on the day of the recently held local bodies' elections in the province as law and order situation across the province remained critical on polling day. Instead of supporting the polling staff, the provincial police continued to be influenced at the hands of others, he added. He admired the Sindh police who showed better performance during the recent by-elections in Karachi's NA-246.
Earlier, the ECP also criticised the press conference of KP Minister Inayatullah Khan who had given the impression that ECP on its own conducted the Local Government Elections on a single day. The ECP stated that keeping in view the security measures and requirement of huge number of polling staff, ECP had already advised the KPK Government for conducting the elections in phases, but the Provincial Government, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was of the view that the poll may be held on one day. Advice and views of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government are on record. Regarding use of biometric machines, it is clarified that in a meeting of the Chief Minister Pervez Khattak with the Election Commission, after detail deliberation on the pros and cons of use of biometric machines, the Chief Minister had agreed to conduct LG polls without biometric machines.
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