Daily Times

The Sindh government Thursday refused to provide security personnel for the October 23 local government elections in Karachi.

On October 4, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) turned down the Sindh government’s plea to postpone the local government elections in the port city for three months. Despite the refusal, the provincial government has again written a letter to the ECP seeking a delay in polls for the next three months in the metropolis. In a letter written to the election supervisor, the provincial government has sought the postponement of the polls for three months. The provincial government excused itself from providing security resourcing, saying that a large number of the security personnel were engaged in the flood relief work.

“We are unable to provide the required security resources for the October 23 elections as a large number of police officials are busy helping the flood victims,” said the Sindh government. The provincial government, however, agreed to provide security if the local government polls are held in two phases in the metropolis.

“If the situation returns to normal in three months, security resources will be available for the local government election,” the provincial government added.

A day earlier, Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister Saeed Ghani suggested that the local government elections be held in Karachi in two phases, given the limited resources available at the disposal of the provincial government to ensure holding the polls in a smooth and peaceful manner.

However, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman opposed the suggestion to hold phase-wise local government elections in the city, and demanded that the ECP ensure free and fair elections across the metropolis on October 23. The second phase of LG polls in Sindh was originally scheduled to be held on July 24. Just days before the scheduled date, the polls were postponed for a month due to incessant monsoon rains across the province. For the third time, following the request of the provincial government, the election commission again pushed the election from August 28 to October 23.