Pakistan Senate Approves Election Delay

The Chairman of the Pakistan Senate stated in his address to the members that the Senate approved a decision today, Friday, to extend the postponement of the general elections that were scheduled to take place on February 8. However, the decision passed by the Senate is not binding and does not necessarily mean that the elections will be postponed for an extended period. No comments have been issued from the Election Commission yet. The elections were originally set to take place in November in a country facing political and economic issues, following 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly in August, but were postponed for the first time to February due to the redistricting based on a new population census. Pakistan is currently being governed by a caretaker government headed by interim Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar, which is supposed to oversee the general elections. Political analysts fear that allowing the country to remain for an extended period without an elected government could strengthen the military's control, which has ruled Pakistan for over three decades since independence in 1947 and still holds significant power even if not in direct authority.