Third phase of local elections announced

Kanwar Dilshad, the head of Pakistan’s election commission, announced on Tuesday that the third round of local body elections would be held on 31 May in 19 districts countrywide. According to a report by the Pakistani daily, ‘The News’, the third phase was part of the military government’s devolution of power process, to be followed by a fourth round scheduled for August. Pakistan’s chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf, seized power on 12 October 1999 and has publicly pledged to hold national elections within the next two years. Earlier, when asked about the timing of national elections, Dilshad told IRIN: “The policy to hold the general elections will be announced by Chief Executive Musharraf on 14 August, not before.”