Pakistan elections to be held in January instead of November

Were due to be held 90 days after the parliament's term was about to expire

Security guards escort vehicles carrying parliamentarians of the National Assembly in Islamabad, Pakistan. EPA

Elections that were scheduled to be held in November, will now take place in January, Pakistan's Election Commission said on Thursday.

Elections in the South Asian nation of 241 million residents were delayed due to fresh marking of constituencies, which will be announced by November 30, the commission said.

The elections are due after the outgoing parliament completed a five-year term in August. A caretaker government has been installed to supervise the election.

The vote in late January will come after a 54-day process that includes filing nomination papers, appeals and campaigning.

Pakistan dissolved the National Assembly after the country's president Arif Alvi approved the dissolution request which was submitted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in accordance with Article 58-1 of the constitution.

The parliament was dissolved three days before the end of its five year term on August 12, giving the caretaker government 90 days to organise general elections.

This came 16 months after former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote. He then began serving a three-year prison sentence after being convicted in one of around 180 cases filed against him – a move he insists is politically motivated to prevent him from participating in the upcoming elections.