ECP puts off Karachi LG polls for third time

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday decided to put off local government elections in Karachi for a third time on Sindh’s request while it has asked the Punjab government to legislate on the local bodies within a week or hold the polls based on the previous laws.

The decision to postpone local body elections in Karachi was made in a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja.

The huddle reviewed the interior ministry's letter in which it had expressed its inability to provide security personnel for the local government elections.

The federal government had also asked the electoral body to decide about conducting local government elections in the port city after consulting with the Sindh government.

The meeting was attended by the police chief and chief secretary of Sindh and other relevant officials.

Sindh had sought postponement of the LG polls for three months in seven districts of Karachi, scheduled to take place on October 23.

The second phase of the LG elections in Sindh was originally scheduled to take place on July 24.

However, it was put off twice due to unprecedented rains and the subsequent flooding.

Last Sunday, the Sindh government had written another letter to the ECP, saying that it was difficult to provide security for the polls as it was facing a shortfall of 16,786 police personnel.

According to a press release issued by the ECP, the commission had no other option than to postpone the LG polls as “peaceful conduct of the election and the protection of the voters” was its top priority.

The commission decided to hold another meeting after 15 days to gain feedback from the Sindh government and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that LG polls were conducted as soon as possible.

The ECP had written to the interior ministry to ensure the provision of army  and Rangers personnel to make up for the shortage of police personnel.

However. the ministry responded that such a step was impossible but army and Rangers personnel could be provided as a quick reaction force.

The ministry’s response compelled the commission to postpone the by-polls.
The ECP also announced that the by-polls for NA-45 Kurram would be held on October 30.

The by-election was originally scheduled to take place on October 16.

However, it was put off because of the law and order situation in the constituency.

Reacting to the postponement of the Karachi by-polls, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar tweeted that the “imported” government had “run away again”.
Shireen Mazari, another PTI leader, claimed that if there was any doubt of the bias embedded in the present ECP led by a chief election commissioner, who was now effectively working for the PML-N and the “imported” government, this development should remove it.

“This duality of approach, shown below, has no rationality behind it at all!” she wrote in a tweet, sharing a screenshot of the news of Karachi LG polls’ postponement.

The Jamaat-e-Islami also expressed its resentment at the decision, claiming that it had been made by the ECP in connivance with the federal and provincial governments.

“The parties claiming democracy are the enemies of democracy and are involved in a conspiracy to deprive the largest city of its fundamental right,” JI chief Sirajul Haq tweeted.

JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman tweeted that an “anti-Karachi, anti-people and anti-democracy decision” was unacceptable.

As for the Punjab by-elections, a hearing was held by a three-member ECP bench headed by the CEC.

On October 7, the ECP had taken notice of the delay in Punjab LG polls and summoned the provincial chief secretary and local government secretary to appear before the commission's bench on Tuesday.

The ECP special secretary informed the bench that the tenure of Punjab’s local bodies had ended on December 31, 2021.

He further said the ECP had decided that the new LG elections in the province would take place on April 14 this year.

However, he added that the Lahore High Court had issued stay orders on the schedule.

The special secretary said the Punjab government had issued a new ordinance for the LG elections in the province, but without sharing its details with the commission.

He added that the ECP was compelled to  conduct costly delimitation twice.
The special secretary asked the bench to take the money for the expenses of the delimitation from the Punjab government.

He also requested that contempt proceedings be initiated against the provincial government for its attitude.

CEC Raja noted that the provincial government was violating the Supreme Court orders by delaying the LG polls.

He warned the Punjab administration of contempt action if it failed to comply with the commission’s directives.

The CEC said the ECP was also sending a reference to the SC to convey its concerns that the Punjab government was not holding LG polls.

Speaking on the PTI’s demand to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) for elections across the country, Raja said the number of polling stations in the LG polls was greater than other ones.

“Should we now get into the EVM debate? Will anyone take responsibility if the election process faces some problems?” he inquired.

He said that elections would become questionable if the EVMs were launched in a hurry. “We cannot afford to launch EVMs on whims and cause anarchy in the country,” he added.

The CEC noted that only two countries, Brazil and India, were using EVMs.

The Punjab chief secretary told the bench that the provincial assembly session was under way and the legislation for LG elections will be enacted in it.

He added that only a debate on the EVMs was taking place in the Punjab Assembly.

Raja then asked the Punjab government to enact the legislation for holding the LG elections in the province within a week or else hold them under the existing laws.