The timing of Pakistani elections is in doubt as signs point to a delay

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is due to hold a general election in November, but signs are increasingly suggesting the election could be delayed, after the government already postponed provincial votes this year in defiance of court orders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is due to hand over the reins to an interim administration in the coming days, gave the clearest signal yet this week, when he told a television interviewer that upcoming elections should be based on the digital census of 2023. This would entail a cumbersome, months-long process to establish new constituencies and voter lists that will almost certainly stretch beyond the deadline.