Pakistan election 'likely' delayed several weeks: official
Posted: 31 December 2007 1456 hrs

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's election will "likely" be delayed a few weeks after Benazir Bhutto's killing, followed by unrest that destroyed dozens of election offices, a senior government official told AFP on Monday.

"It is likely that the elections will be delayed for a few weeks," the official said.

"More than 40 offices have been destroyed in Sindh province alone. Election work has been severely hampered," the official said.

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Pakistan's election commission was holding an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the situation after widespread unrest following Bhutto's assassination on Thursday.

The commission announced at the weekend that preparations for the January 8 vote, which Bhutto had only recently come home from exile to contest, had been "adversely affected" by the unrest.

Election offices have been torched, leaving voter lists "reduced to ashes," it said. - AFP/ac