PTI moves Supreme Court to postpone LG polls in Sindh

Elections can’t be held without completing delimitations and empowering local bodies, says petitioner

KARACHI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh Chapter President Ali Zaidi has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking to postpone upcoming local body elections in the province due to the non-completion of delimitations and alleged non-compliance of the apex court verdict on local bodies.

The plea filed by advocate Salahuddin Ahmed on behalf of the senior PTI leader on Saturday contended that the polls should be held after the process of delimitation is completed and the Sindh government complied with the apex court’s verdict on the local bodies.

The petitioner prayed the court to set aside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notifications scheduling local government election in the province.

A notification issued by the ECP states that the first phase of the local government (LG) polls will be held on June 26 in Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, while the second phase is scheduled to start on July 24 in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Thatta.

"Elections cannot be scheduled by the ECP and balloting cannot take place without the Government of Sindh first complying with the directions in the Supreme Court’s Judgrment requiring necessary amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act 2013..,” read the petition.

“Elections cannot be scheduled before the process of delimitation of constituencies is completed by the ECP.”

Also read: Provincial govt keen on postponing local polls

The petitioner maintained that unless the powers, functions, and responsibilities of local governments, as recognised by the Supreme Court in its judegment, are devolved upon the local government through amendments to necessary laws, the elected local government will continue to remain powerless and will be unable to bring about any material changes for the betterment of the people of the province.

“Unless the Sindh Government implements the Provincial Financial Commission Award, the elected local government will have no financial resources to bring about any changes or perform its functions,” it added.

Final electoral rolls cannot be prepared before completion of delimitation while the candidates and voters of Karachi districts West and Keamari do not know their constituencies till now. “Without knowing their constituencies, prospective candidates cannot file their nomination forms and, therefore, cannot campaign,” it added.

The petitioner also claimed that the ruling party of the province would benefit from non-compliance with the directions of the apex court order “as PPPP has been in power in Sindh since 2008, has acquired a loyal voter base on the basis of ethnicity, and will not be disadvantaged from low voter turnout or no devolution of powers to local governments insofar as the said powers will continue to be exercised by the Sindh Government”.