• Govt asked ECP to withdraw demand of more funds
• Ministry of Interior apprised ECP about its decision.
• It said the country was facing severe crisis.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has refused to give additional funds to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab for elections, citing national economic challenges, Bol News reported.

The federal government asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to withdraw the demand of additional funds “in the best interest of the country”.

The Ministry of Interior apprised the ECP about its decision. The interior ministry said the country was facing severe crisis. “We need funds for rehabilitation from flood’s devastation as well as meeting the targets of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which are tough to implement,” the ministry said.

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The ministry said extra funds would be provided given that conditions improve. The ECP had sought Rs14 billion additional funds for holding elections in Punjab and KP.

Former Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has decided to contest the by-election from NA-59 Rawalpindi constituency.

According to reports, the former interior minister has collected the nomination forms for the by-polls which were submitted to the returning officer on Feb 8.

There are at least 15 others candidates who have submitted their forms for the constituency. The last date for the submission of nomination forms was Feb 8. The by-polls for the vacant seat will be held on March 16.

Earlier Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said he would contest upcoming elections for the national and provincial assemblies as an independent candidate.

Nisar said he would take a decision about joining a political party after the elections. He added that Imran Khan is his friend and joining the PTI could hurt their relationship.