Balochistan cites security concerns over Khuzdar by-election, ECP says decision will be made

ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan government has informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that a by-election in NA-256 Khuzdar cannot be held at present because of the security situation in the district.

At a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Wednesday, Balochistan’s chief secretary and inspector general of police briefed the commission on the situation in the constituency. According to the briefing, the presence of militants, tribal disputes and the requirement to bring in police and other law enforcement personnel from other districts had created difficulties in conducting the poll.

The provincial officials also told the ECP that the constituency includes mountainous areas and that the security environment remained unstable, making it impossible to ensure full protection for election staff and voters.

During the meeting, the CEC said the commission was constitutionally and legally bound to hold the by-election.

He said the commission would decide the matter after considering the situation.

“The ECP will take an appropriate decision on the Khuzdar by-elections,” he said.

The ECP maintained that it was prepared to proceed with the by-election and had sought an updated briefing from the provincial administration on the law and order situation before moving ahead.

Seat fell vacant after Akhtar Mengal’s resignation

The NA-256 seat became vacant after Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal resigned from the National Assembly in September 2024.

In his resignation letter to the National Assembly speaker, Mengal said Balochistan had been neglected over time and that the absence of genuine representation had left him unable to bring meaningful change.

The ECP accepted his resignation in February 2026 and issued the by-election schedule on February 13. However, the commission later suspended the schedule on March 27 at the request of the provincial government because of the worsening security situation.

Quetta local government polls also discussed

The meeting also reviewed the issue of local government elections in Quetta.

ECP officials said the term of local governments in the provincial capital ended on January 27, 2019. They told the meeting that the commission had since completed two rounds of delimitation and issued three election schedules, but polling could not take place.

According to the briefing, delimitation has now been completed and the commission is ready to hold the local government elections. The meeting was told that the election schedule could be issued in the second week of June 2026.

Under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act and Section 16(2) of the Balochistan Local Government Act, consultation with the provincial government is required before the polls are held.

The chief secretary told the meeting that the matter would be placed before the next meeting of the provincial cabinet so that a decision could be taken on holding the elections in light of the law and order situation.

The ECP directed the provincial government to communicate its position on the consultation process so that the electoral exercise could begin and local government elections in Quetta could be held in accordance with the law.