ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will meet here on Tuesday to examine the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government`s formal request for holding local government elections in the province as soon as possible.

The meeting will take place a day after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan blamed the commission for delaying the LG polls in the province.

An election commission official told Dawn that the single item on the agenda would be the local bodies elections in KP.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali will preside over the meeting.

The official rejected Mr Khan`s allegation and said the KP government had been informed about anomalies in laws and rules related to the LG polls during a meeting on Oct 16 and asked to rectify the anomalies in a week.

He said rectifying those anomalies was an essential requirement for the announcement of the schedule of the polls.

He said the KP government`s insistence on introduction of biometric system for identification of voters had contributed to delay in the polls.

He said the KP government had withdrawn its demand in April and agreed tointroduction of the biometric system only in a small tehsil of Haripur district. But no progress has so far been made on procurement of biometric machines for Ghazi tehsil by the KP government, which agreed to provide funds for it.

He said about 20 weeks were required for procurement and transportation of the machines, adding that around 500 to 1,000 machines were estimated to be required for the purpose.

He said the ECP had made it clear in April that it was ready to announce the polls` schedule in 10 days and to hold them before June 30 if the idea of procuring machines for the tehsil was dropped and that a few more months would be required if it was to be done.

At that time, he said, the KP government had been asl
He said though introduction of biometric machines in a small tehsil would not make a meaningful change in the overall polls, the insistence on it again had delayed the polls.

The official said the ECP would not waste a single day after the prerequisites for holding LG polls had been met. But it will have to consider different aspects of preparations for the polls, including printing of election material.introduction of the biometric system only in a small tehsil of Haripur district. But no progress has so far been made on procurement of biometric machines for Ghazi tehsil by the KP government, which agreed to provide funds for it.

He said about 20 weeks were required for procurement and transportation of the machines, adding that around 500 to 1,000 machines were estimated to be required for the purpose.

He said the ECP had made it clear in April that it was ready to announce the polls` schedule in 10 days and to hold them before June 30 if the idea of procuring machines for the tehsil was dropped and that a few more months would be required if it was to be done.

At that time, he said, the KP government had been asl
He said though introduction of biometric machines in a small tehsil would not make a meaningful change in the overall polls, the insistence on it again had delayed the polls.

The official said the ECP would not waste a single day after the prerequisites for holding LG polls had been met. But it will have to consider different aspects of preparations for the polls, including printing of election material.