Pakistan's election authority postpones elections in key province

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan's election authority on Wednesday announced the postponement of polls in the country's largest Punjab province which were scheduled for April 30.

Elections in Punjab will now be held on Oct. 8 together with general elections in the country, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in a late evening notification.

The development came on the heels of a deepening political turmoil in the South Asian country, which has been struggling with a tottering economy.

The ECP cited the security situation in the country and the shortage of funds as key reasons for the postponement of the elections.

Earlier this month, President Arif Alvi announced elections in Punjab on April 30, following a Supreme Court judgment that ordered elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces within 90 days.

The assemblies of the two provinces were dissolved by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in January this year in an attempt to compel the coalition government for snap elections.

The country's constitution requires that new elections be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any of the country's legislative assemblies, both central and provincial.

The government, however, insisted on holding national and provincial elections simultaneously.

The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected the demand for an early election citing economic challenges the country faces including ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund for a financial bailout.

The PTI, for its part, rejected the ECP decision, terming it "unjust and unconstitutional."

Senator Aun Abbas, a senior party leader, said the decision will be challenged in the Supreme Court.