ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold an official session on Monday to decide whether to accept or reject the invitation made by the president to consult dates for holding provincial assembly elections.

According to a notification, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has summoned the consultative meeting on Monday morning to discuss and decide poll dates for provincial assembly elections.

In a letter written to the president secretariat, the ECP stated that “the commission may not be able to enter into a process of consultation with the presidency as the matter was subjudice at various judicial fora.”

Dissolved assemblies of KP, Punjab: President urges ECP to announce election dates

The ECP letter, bearing the signatures of ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, stated the final decision in that regard will be taken on Monday. It noted that the Constitution did not empower the ECP to fix a date for a general election to an assembly in case of dissolution.

The ECP pointed out that after dissolution of both provincial assemblies, the commission approached governors of both provinces for appointment of a date for elections.

The letter maintained that the ECP delegation approached the governors of Punjab for appointment of poll date but the governor refrained from providing an election date. The letter concluded that the commission had utmost respect for the President’s office.