ECP postpones polls in PK-78 after Haroon Bilour’s death in suicide attack

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed polls in PK-78 (Peshawar-XIII) constituency on Wednesday after a suicide blast claimed the life of Awami National Party (ANP) leader Barrister Haroon Bilour and 19 others.

The polls were postponed due to the death Bilour, who was the candidate for PK-78, the electoral body said, adding that the new schedule for the said constituency will be announced later.

Other candidates contesting election from this constituency are Muhammad Irfan (Independent), Mahad Tariq (TLP) and Niaz Muhammad Momand (Independent).

Justice (retired) Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, the chief election commissioner (CEC), condemned the terrorist attack, terming it a "weakness of security institutions".

The attack was a conspiracy against the transparent elections, the CEC said, noting that the provincial governments were ordered to provide fool-proof security to all candidates.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council has also announced a three-day mourning in light of the attack, with lawyers beginning the boycott of court proceedings today.