The Election Commission has once again rejected Sindh government's concerns with respect to the local government elections, saying the polls will take place in the province tomorrow (Jan 15) as planned.
Earlier today (Jan 14) Sindh government asked the top electoral authority again to postpone elections over security threats to the political leaders.
The ECP, in an official communiqué, asked the provincial authorities to to ensure "foolproof preparations for peaceful elections."
A day earlier (Jan 13), ECP said that preparations to hold the second phase of the local bodies elections in Sindh were complete.
In its statement, the electoral authority had rejected Sindh government’s assertions on the holding of the polls as scheduled.
It had also termed the provincial government’s decision to withdraw the notification to hold polls on the basis of existing delimitations two days prior to the schedule as illegal and unconstitutional, and against the local government law.
Earlier on Friday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon had said that as per law, ECP cannot overrule its decision of withdrawing the notification, made in light of the Constitution.
According to him, ECP could not intervene with regard to the powers of the provincial government.
In a presser late on Thursday night, Memon announced that the polls scheduled for Sunday wouldn’t be held for Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.
He had also said that polls in seven districts of Sindh – Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, and Jamshoro – would go ahead as scheduled.
The minister had said that the notification to hold elections on the basis of the existing delimitations had been withdrawn as per the demand of coalition partner MQM-P, which had serious reservations on it.
MQM-Pakistan had rejected delimitation of local government constituencies, terming them “unjustified”, and had demanded the withdrawal of the notification.
The decision to postpone local bodies elections in two divisions of Sindh came after an emergency meeting of the Pakistan Peoples Party, presided by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and attended by Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and the district presidents of the party’s Karachi chapter, among other party leaders.
The local bodies’ polls in the province have been delayed for a prolonged period of time, while the city continues to suffer in terms of development and planning.
Earlier today (Jan 14) Sindh government asked the top electoral authority again to postpone elections over security threats to the political leaders.
The ECP, in an official communiqué, asked the provincial authorities to to ensure "foolproof preparations for peaceful elections."
A day earlier (Jan 13), ECP said that preparations to hold the second phase of the local bodies elections in Sindh were complete.
In its statement, the electoral authority had rejected Sindh government’s assertions on the holding of the polls as scheduled.
It had also termed the provincial government’s decision to withdraw the notification to hold polls on the basis of existing delimitations two days prior to the schedule as illegal and unconstitutional, and against the local government law.
Earlier on Friday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon had said that as per law, ECP cannot overrule its decision of withdrawing the notification, made in light of the Constitution.
According to him, ECP could not intervene with regard to the powers of the provincial government.
In a presser late on Thursday night, Memon announced that the polls scheduled for Sunday wouldn’t be held for Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.
He had also said that polls in seven districts of Sindh – Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, and Jamshoro – would go ahead as scheduled.
The minister had said that the notification to hold elections on the basis of the existing delimitations had been withdrawn as per the demand of coalition partner MQM-P, which had serious reservations on it.
MQM-Pakistan had rejected delimitation of local government constituencies, terming them “unjustified”, and had demanded the withdrawal of the notification.
The decision to postpone local bodies elections in two divisions of Sindh came after an emergency meeting of the Pakistan Peoples Party, presided by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and attended by Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and the district presidents of the party’s Karachi chapter, among other party leaders.
The local bodies’ polls in the province have been delayed for a prolonged period of time, while the city continues to suffer in terms of development and planning.