ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Election Commission on Thursday postponed by-elections in Punjab province after torrential monsoon rains and unprecedented floods damaged infrastructure and displaced millions across the province.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said polling could not be held under the announced schedule due to the scale of the disaster.
The decision affects five National Assembly constituencies — NA-66 (Wazirabad), NA-96 (Faisalabad-II), NA-104 (Faisalabad-X), NA-129 (Lahore-XIII) and NA-143 (Sahiwal-III) — as well as four Punjab Assembly seats, PP-73 (Sargodha-III), PP-87 (Mianwali-III), PP-98 (Faisalabad-I) and PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI).
According to the election commission, floodwaters have destroyed roads, bridges and rail links, while damaging schools designated as polling stations.
Civil administration and law enforcement personnel remain engaged in rescue operations, while polling staff are unavailable. The provincial government had also requested a postponement, ECP stated.
“The Commission, after reviewing the situation, has concluded that due to the non-availability of polling staff, lack of security personnel, damaged infrastructure, and displacement of voters, elections cannot be held with the required security under Article 218(3) of the Constitution,” the ECP said in a statement.
The flooding in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, has forced more than 1.8 million people to flee their homes since last month, with half a million evacuated in the past 24 hours alone, Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed told reporters.
Javed said Muzaffargarh, Narowal and Kasur districts of Punjab were among the hardest-hit districts, with more than 3,900 villages inundated after the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers burst their banks.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported on Thursday that 46 people have died in Punjab so far, with over 3.8 million affected. Authorities have set up more than 400 relief camps and nearly 450 medical centres in flood-hit areas.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow over the disaster, offering condolences to the families of victims and solidarity with the government of Pakistan.
According to a statement carried by the Associated Press of Pakistan, the UN has released an initial $600,000 from its regional humanitarian fund and is working with authorities to assess needs and mobilise additional support.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that heavy monsoon rains are likely to worsen the crisis. From September 6 to 9, torrential downpours are forecast across Sindh, eastern Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, according to PMD.
The Met Office warned of urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sukkur districts of Sindh and other low-lying areas, flash floods in southern Punjab and Balochistan, and landslides in northern districts.
