KARACHI: Pakistan’s top election body on Friday rejected the Sindh government’s request to delay local government elections in the southern province’s Karachi and Hyderabad divisions, saying that elections would be held as per schedule on January.
The provincial administration of Sindh announced its decision to postpone local government polls in Karachi, Dadu and a district in Hyderabad in the early hours of Friday. The Sindh government argued that it was not possible to hold polls in some areas where the elections were supposed to take place due to the post-flood situation. It also cited the concerns of a coalition partner over the delimitation of constituencies in some areas.
In a letter to the election commissioner of Sindh, the local government department said a provincial cabinet meeting had canceled the notification related to delimitations of councils in the Karachi division and the Hyderabad districts.
“The election commission while keeping in view the legal and constitutional obligations in this regard has rejected the request of the provincial government to postpone local government elections and has ordered that the elections in Karachi division, Hyderabad and other districts will be held as per schedule on January 15,” the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) spokesperson issued a statement.
The ECP added that it had deliberated over the Sindh government’s request and notifications, adding that it will issue an order related to it.
“Moreover, the election commission has also decided that the interior ministry be asked to ensure the deployment of army/rangers on very sensitive polling stations during elections,” it added.
The first phase of the local government elections in 14 districts of Sindh took place last June in which the province’s ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) took a lead amid sporadic incidents of violence. However, the second phase of the polls was postponed thrice – once in July, and then in August and December – due to unprecedented monsoon rains and flash floods.
“Sindh administration already wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan to postpone local government polls in Dadu district due to floodwater in some of the areas,” said the provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon in a news conference in Karachi. “It will not be possible to hold elections over there until the rain and floodwater clears.”
He said the provincial authorities had also taken cognizance of concerns expressed by one of its coalition partners at the center, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which had expressed reservations over the delimitation of local government constituencies in Karachi and some regions of Hyderabad.
“Taking their concerns seriously,” he continued, “the Sindh cabinet has withdrawn a notification issued under Section 10 (1) that specified the number of union councils.”
Memon said local government polls in “the whole Karachi division and one district of Hyderabad” had, therefore, been postponed.
He added a provincial subcommittee dealing with the issue would carefully examine the population density and revisit the delimitation process.
“Election will still be held in Tando Allahyar, Badin, Sujawal, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan Matiari, and Jamshoro districts on January 15,” he said. “The Sindh administration is ready and people should also prepare themselves for voting in these areas.”