Elections delayed

Already three months behind schedule, the second phase of local bodies elections in Sindh has been delayed yet again after the Election Commission of Pakistan accepted the provincial government’s request to push elections by another three months, citing security issues and the federal government’s refusal to provide additional law enforcement personnel.

The election watchdog said that ensuring the elections went ahead peacefully was its top priority and that it will soon meet with provincial government and law enforcement officials to work out a new date for the polls. The previous delays from the original July 24 date were due to the summer floods, which the country is still recovering from. With the PTI and former prime minister Imran Khan threatening to converge on the capital soon, the federal government is clearly unwilling to spare 16,000 security officials and be caught shorthanded as it attempts to keep protesters at bay.

The Sindh Police personnel shortage also ties in to the floods — the original security plan for the elections called for about 15,000 law enforcement officials from interior Sindh to be deputed in Karachi for the local elections. However, this number seemed unfeasible and using private security had also been discussed. However, police all over the province were redeployed to support relief work as a priority, leaving little behind to send to Karachi. Even the ECP’s own request for soldiers and paramilitary officials to help fill the shortfall was turned down, with Islamabad only agreeing to the use of the military as a “quick response force,” leaving proactive security duties to the already-stretched Sindh Police.

Where blame for the delays is placed is now a matter of opinion. While the initial delay due to flood situation across the province was understandable, depending on one’s political persuasions, the delay may be due to the popularity or lack thereof of major parties in Karachi and the rest of Sindh — including the PPP, PTI, and MQM. That security concerns are legitimate and PTI’s march on Islamabad should have been delayed to allow for elections, or this is just an excuse by the ruling coalition to blame Imran for their own fear of his popular support is something only officials behind closed doors can answer. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle and entails some combination of these factors. But whatever the balance, it is undeniable that the people of Sindh, and especially the country’s commercial capital and largest city — Karachi — continue to be denied elected representation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2022.

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