ISLAMABAD, JANUARY 02, SPA -- Parliamentary elections earlier scheduled for Jan 8 were postponed to Feb 18, 2008, Pakistan's Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Qazi Farooq announced Wednesday. He told the reporters that the election commission of Pakistan took the decision to delay the polls in view of the reports of the provincial governments. Farooq said the election commission offices had been set ablaze in different cities of the Sindh province during rioting against former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination on Dec 27 that destroyed the record and documents. Therefore, holding of elections on Jan 8 was not possible, he said. The election commissioner said he consulted with major political parties before taking the decision to postpone the elections. He assured the contesting parties that the elections would be fair and free.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/514096