Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday rejected the Sindh government’s plea to postpone the second phase of local government (LG) polls in Sindh and declared that the elections in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held as scheduled on January 15. A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja contemplated the pleas/notification of the Sindh government seeking postponement of local government elections in Karachi division, Hyderabad, two tehsils of Dadu, Khairpur Nathan, and Mehar which were scheduled to be held on Jan 15. The commission rejected the provincial government’s petition to defer LG polls. ECP also decided to ask the interior ministry to deploy army troops/rangers to the most sensitive polling stations to provide a peaceful environment for people to cast their vote freely and in accordance with their conscious.

The PPP government in Sindh, in a surprise late-night move, had postponed the local bodies elections due to reservations of its coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over existing delimitations. It was the fourth time that the polls were delayed by the Sindh govenrment. The second round of LG elections was scheduled to take place on July 24 last year, but the Sindh government excused itself from holding the polls over the lack of security and police presence due to the flooding. The polls were then scheduled for August 28 and October 23 but were delayed back then as well.

Following the announcement, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had announced that the party will hold a sit-in outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) office in Karachi. However, the JI has now called off its protest. The JI leader had alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led Sindh government was depriving the people of their constitutional right. The elections have been called off in fear of the people’s mandate, he claimed.