ISLAMABAD; The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed by-elections scheduled to take place in Punjab due to the ongoing flooding emergency that has severely disrupted life across the province.
The polls were to be held in five National Assembly constituencies—NA-66 (Wazirabad), NA-96 (Faisalabad-II), NA-104 (Faisalabad-X), NA-129 (Lahore-XIII), and NA-143 (Sahiwal-III)—and four Punjab Assembly constituencies—PP-73 (Sargodha-III), PP-87 (Mianwali-III), PP-98 (Faisalabad-I), and PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI).
In a statement, the ECP said the communication system had been badly disrupted by the “unprecedented floods,” which also caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and connectivity. The commission noted that rescue and relief operations were still underway, with civil administration and law enforcement personnel occupied in evacuation and aid activities. It further stated that local officials had reported the unavailability of polling staff needed to conduct the elections.
The provincial government had formally requested the ECP to postpone the polls. After reviewing the situation, the commission concluded that the elections could not be conducted under the constitutional requirement of ensuring security and transparency as mandated under Article 218(3).
“The commission, after considering the highlighted issues, has determined that due to the non-availability of polling staff, inadequate deployment of law enforcement, damaged infrastructure, and the disenfranchisement of displaced voters, the by-elections cannot be conducted at this stage,” the statement read.
The ECP announced that the by-elections in the nine constituencies would remain postponed and that the process would resume once the situation normalizes.
