ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday rejected a plea by the Mutthaida Quami Movement (MQM) to stop holding local government elections in Sindh.

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Umar Atta Badial sought a reply from Sindh government on the matter.

MQM’s counsel Barrister Farogh Naseem asked the court to direct the federal government to submit its reply in the case.  The top judge replied that the federal government can submit its reply.

Advocate General Sindh said the provincial government should be given two weeks to submit a written reply which the court refused.  Farogh Nassen interjected and said  local bodies elections are scheduled to be held on August 27. “If two weeks are given to the government, it will argue that the polling is near,” he said.

The court rejected the plea to stop the government from conducting the local bodies elections. It ordered the provincial government to submit its reply by August 4.

The MQM-P sought a restraining order from the Suprme Court against the LG elections in Sindh and requested urgent hearing of the petition.

The MQM had filed petition in the apex court after its plea in the Sindh High Court (SHC) was rejected. The party had urged the top court to issue a restraining order against the polls in Sindh before legislation.

Earlier, the SHC had rejected a plea in June from major political parties including the MQM-P to defer the local government elections and directed the ECP to hold the polls as per schedule.

It must be mentioned that the ECP postponed second phase of Sindh Local Government (LG) elections and by-election in NA-245 Karachi. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja decided to postpone the elections on the request of Sindh Chief Secretary.

The ECP postponed the elections citing expected spell of downpours in Sindh.  The elections were to be held in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad divisions in the second phase which will now be conducted on  August 28.

The chief secretary said that there is a possibility of heavy rains in Sindh from July 22-24 which will be followed by the advent of the month of Muharram.

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