Sindh govt once again requests ECP to delay LG polls

KARACHI: Government of Sindh has once again urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the local bodies elections in Karachi Division for three months.

The provincial government has written a letter to the election commission stating that incase LG elections are not postponed, the polls in Karachi should be conducted in two phases.

In this first phase, it proposed that municipal elections should be held in three districts of Karachi and in the second phase in four districts.

The letter said this will allow the Sindh government to allocate resources so that the municipal elections are held in a peaceful and transparent manner.

Earlier this month, the Sindh government had for the third time asked the ECP to delay the polls, citing inadequate police resources to maintain the law and order situation.

The second phase of the local bodies polls in Karachi and Hyderabad Division was originally scheduled to take place in July, but were delayed to unprecedented rains and floods.

In the previous letter, the Sindh government said that the inspector-general had maintained there was shortage of police personnel as they were assisting in flood relief activities and had to be brought from other districts of the province.

The letter said in view of the shortage of manpower due to flood relief, the Sindh Police has expressed inability to provide the required assistance during the local bodies polls.

The federal government had also asked the commission to delay the by-elections for at least 90 days stating that a “political party” was planning to “besiege” the capital later this month. This was an apparent reference to the long march announced by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

However, the ECP once again rejected the quest and announced that by-polls and Karachi’s local body elections would take place on their respective dates. The  commission only agreed to delay the by-election in the NA-45 constituency in Kurram due to security concerns.

The ECP said the by-elections will take place on October 16 and the second phase of Karachi’s local body elections would take place on October 23.

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