ECP directs for completing ground for LB polls

K-P suggests vote by Oct 15, Punjab election can be held in Nov

ISLAMABAD:

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday directed the provinces to complete their groundwork and remove bottlenecks in the process of holding the local bodies and cantonment boards elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired a meeting on holding the local bodies elections in the country, which was attended by the officials of the four provincial election commissions, interior ministry and the Military Land and Cantonments Department.

The CEC directed for early demarcation of the constituencies in the federal capital, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. He also directed the provincial election commissions to formulate recommendations regarding administrative difficulties related to holding the local bodies' elections.

The meeting was informed that the Punjab government had not yet been able to provide notifications for maps of Tehsil-wise villages and neighbourhood council. The Punjab local government secretary said that the notification would be issued by mid-June.

The local government secretary also informed the meeting that the province was ready to hold the local elections in November if its review petition regarding the restoration of local bodies was upheld in the Supreme Court.

He also said that the work of delimitation of constituencies in the cantonment boards had been completed. The Election Commission secretary said that after the issuance of the rules by the Punjab government, the Election Commission would need four months to prepare for the election.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government proposed to hold the local elections in the province between end of September and mid-October. The Provincial Election Commissioner K-P suggested for holding the elections in stages.

The ECP director, local government, informed the meeting that demarcation work in the province had been completed in all districts except Peshawar. He added that the demarcation work in Peshawar would be completed by July 7.

On the occasion, the Provincial Election Commission and the K-P government were asked to formulate their recommendations regarding administrative difficulties related to holding the local bodies elections.

The meeting expressed annoyance at the Balochistan government’s failure to approve amendments to the Local Government Act. It was decided that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would convene a separate meeting regarding the local elections in Sindh.