PML-N, ANP not happy at by-polls delay in Pak

Islamabad, May 6 : Two main constituents of the new coalition government in Islamabad - the PML-N and the ANP - have expressed strong reservations against the Pakistan Election Commission's decision to postpone the by-polls by two months, to August 18.

Sources close to the two parties said that the government could not function in existing shape if the decision about delaying the bye-elections was not cancelled.

According to them, the ANP has conveyed to the PPP that the credibility of the NWFP government was being damaged by postponement of the by-elections, earlier scheduled for June 18.

Muslim League-N was of the view that the elections have been deferred to stop entry of Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab Assembly.

Meanwhile, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that law and order was the responsibility of provincial governments, and if there was any law and order problem in NWFP, then request for delay of by-polls should have come from the Frontier provincial government.

Giving enough hints that the federal government didn't have a hand in postponing the polls, Babar said that why the central government would request for postponement of by-polls in this situation.

ANI