The PPP would not rest until the announcement of the election date, party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Monday, as the country prepares for chilly elections next year.

“We will not rest until we receive the election date notification from our election commissioner,” he said while addressing the PPP candidates, who won the local bodies elections, at Karachi’s Bilawal House.

“In this regard, we will have power shows on October 18, the day when the Karsaz bombing attack occurred in 2017, across the country. I want to address all events in districts via video link.”

The polls overseer has announced that elections would be held in January 2024 which would be around two months after the Election Commission of Pakistan completed the delimitation under the digital census.

But the religio-political party – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl – has expressed concerns over the timing, saying that it would be difficult for people in cold areas to cast votes in January.

Bilawal went on to add that it would be a ‘test’ for the party’s candidate organise the event where he would share further steps of the party. The PPP chief warned his party candidates against indulging in any wrong practices.

The PPP has called for a “level-playing field” for all parties in the general elections, reiterating that the caretaker government has no authority to announce development schemes in provinces.

While speaking about the election campaign, Bilawal claimed that the PPP was the only party that wanted elections at the earliest. He took a jibe at those who made excuses of the weather and the law and order situation to run away from elections.

The PPP chief advised his party candidates to approach the ECP and the government for the continuation of development schemes, which were approved in the budget.

He added that stopping ongoing development scheme would be akin to stopping the projects under the Special Investment Facilitation Council programmes.