ECP looks to 'seal the deal' on KP poll date today.

ISLAMABAD -- The Election ComAmission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold three meetings today (TuesAday) to decide the fate of general polls to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly and finalise preparation for polls to the Punjab Assembly.

The first meeting will be held with KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali for a consultation about the date of elections to the provincial assembly.

According to sources, Mr Ali is likely to skip the meeting.

An official told Dawn that the KP governor, who had expressed his desire to come to the ECP last week, was formally invited on March 14 but he had not confirmed his arrival yet.

The second meeting will be held to review arrangements for polls in Punjab scheduled for April 30. The meeting will be attended by the Punjab caretaker chief minister, Mohsin Naqvi, the chief secretary and the police chief.

The top provincial officials are expected to paint a grim picture of the law and order situation and cite terror threats to make a case for putting off the polls, sources said.

The third meeting will be held to finalise whether the armed forces will be available for election duties or not.

The meeting will be attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Directorate General of Military Operations. The meeting will discuss the deployment of troops for the polls.

Separately, the ECP on Monday considered PTI's plea against the imposition of Section 144, banning all rallies in Lahore, from the day the schedule for general polls to the assembly was announced.

According to the ECP's media wing, the commission considered the petition filed by senior party leader Babar Awan a day earlier on behalf of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The ECP asked the Punjab chief secretary to submit a report on the matter today (Tuesday).

The letter stated that the...