It doesn't matter if polls are delayed: governor.

PESHAWAR -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali on Thursday said it didn't matter whether the elections were held on time or after a delay and that the priority should be accorded to finding solution to the serious issues facing the country.

He also said the Election Commission of Pakistan and the federal government lacked funds and the KP government 'administrative resources' to hold polls.

'We need to understand the serious issues the country is confronted with right now. All political parties will have to jointly decide about their solution. Holding elections on time or after a delay does not matter,' the governor told reporters during an annual function at the Government College Peshawar.

Mr Ali claimed that former members of the National Assembly from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were opposed to the holding of separate elections to national and provincial assemblies.

Ghulam Ali says resolution of serious national issues should be prioritised

'When they [PTI's ex-MNAs] contacted me, I told them to tell this [opposition to separate polls] to your leader [PTI chairman Imran Khan],' he said.

The governor said during a recent meeting, he apprised the ECP officials of the provincial government's security concerns regarding assembly elections.

He added that teams of the ongoing digital population census were recently attacked in Tank and Lakki Marwat districts of the province.

About the recent clashes between the PTI workers and police in Lahore, Mr Ali said a negative message was being sent out to the youth.

'What message do the youth get when political parties violently react to court decisions? Political leadership should sit down to find solutions to the problems,' he said.

The governor said political issues should not be taken to the courts and that the state shouldn't be weakened.

On Tuesday, the governor fixed May 28 as the date for election to the provincial assembly without officially communicating the move to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

'My job is to fix the date for elections in the province, while it's the domain of...

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