ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Sunday postponed the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Baka Khel tehsil due to the poor security situation in the constituency.

The ECP said in a statement on Sunday that a new date for the elections in the tehsil will be announced later. The Chief Election Commission of Pakistan constituted 3-member an inquiry committee for fact finding of incidents. Special Secretary of ECP Zafar Iqbal Hussain would preside the committee while Additional Director General Law Khurram Shahzad and Director Elections Khushal Zada would be its members. The committee would investigate the incident and to submit its report to the ECP within seven days.

“The Deputy Commissioner Bannu and District Police Officer Bannu have inquired and reported the incident of abduction of police personnel, polling staff and snatching of different polling bags/materials at different polling stations of Tehsil Baka Khel in the district of Bannu,” read the statement.

“The situation warrants the postponement of the polling process in Tehsil Baka Khel till the normalisation of law and order situation,” said the ECP.

It further said, “Keeping in view the deteriorating law and order situation in the tehsil, the ECP has ordered the postponement of polling in the entire Tehsil.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021