Pakistani officials have approved a plan to redraw the country’s electoral boundaries, probably delaying this year’s election by several months and further fuelling tensions in the wake of the jailing of popular opposition leader Imran Khan.
A council chaired by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday approved a new census that showed Pakistan’s population had risen to 241mn, a decision that will require authorities to redraw constituency maps before elections can be held.
While elections were constitutionally supposed to happen by November this year, Pakistan’s law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the country’s Geo TV that the new census means that polls are now only likely early next year.