Decision on whether to delay Pakistan election is postponed

Islamabad: A decision on whether to push back Pakistan's general election has been delayed until Tuesday.

Pakistan's electorial commission had been expected to rule on whether to move the date of the elections back from the scheduled date of January 8 following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

The ruling PML-Q party has said the poll should be delayed for several weeks, but Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has said it is willing to take part in the election.

The other main opposition party led by another former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has also said it might change its decision to boycott the election.

Any delay may also be for logistical reasons too, as more than 10 election offices were set on fire in rioting which took place after Bhutto's assassination.

The electoral commission has asked the four provincial governments to prepare reports on how ready they are to host an election