Pakistan's President Arif Alvi has announced a change in the date for holding general elections in the country. The polls will now be held on February 8, 2024, instead of the previously proposed date of February 11. This decision came after an extensive discussion between the Chief Election Commissioner, Attorney General, and members of the electoral body. The Election Commission of Pakistan had initially informed the Supreme Court about the February 11 date during a hearing of petitions, but the exact date had not been confirmed until now.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had previously stated that elections would be held in the last week of January but had not provided an exact date. The commission had been undertaking a delimitation exercise based on the new census held earlier this year. The completion of this exercise on November 30 paved the way for the announcement of the new election date. Despite the constitutional requirement to hold elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, the Election Commission had deemed it necessary to redraw constituency boundaries due to the approval of the census by the Council of Common Interest.

This announcement puts an end to months-long uncertainty surrounding the general elections in Pakistan. Political parties and the public had been eagerly awaiting a confirmed date since the dissolution of the National Assembly in August. Pakistan has been facing an ongoing economic crisis, and the political instability further complicated matters. However, with the new election date in place, the country can now move forward with its democratic process and begin preparing for the upcoming elections.