The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule for the by-election on National Assembly seat NA-256 Khuzdar, which fell vacant following the resignation of Akhtar Mengal, chief of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M).
According to an official notification issued by the ECP, polling will be held on April 5, while the public notice will be issued on February 18.
The notification states that nomination papers may be filed from February 20 to 24, while the list of nominated candidates will be published on February 25. The allocation of election symbols is scheduled for March 18.
The Election Commission has appointed the Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar as the District Returning Officer (DRO) for the by-election.
The NA-256 seat was vacated after Akhtar Mengal tendered his resignation, which was accepted by the Speaker of the National Assembly three days ago.
In recent days, Akhtar Mengal faced strong public criticism after a video circulated on social media regarding his remarks related to Balochistan’s security situation. Political analysts believe that the resignation was aimed at protecting his political standing amid mounting pressure.
Akthar Mengal’s mineral lease were also cancelled in Balochistan.
It is noteworthy that Akhtar Mengal had previously played a key role in the no-confidence vote against former prime minister Imran Khan.
