LB poll charade

The farce of local body elections continues unabated, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently challenging the PML-N to hold local elections in Islamabad and Lahore within 90 days. PML-N's Saad Rafique responded by saying that Punjab should not replicate 'Karachi's electoral model', referring to the allegations by MQM and JI that the ruling PPP manipulated the elections. The verbal sparring makes for dramatic headlines, but it masks the uncomfortable truth that every political party, without exception, has exploited legal loopholes to delay local bodies elections.

Punjab has effectively functioned without elected local representatives since its local governments were dissolved in 2019. Since their scheduled terms expired in December 2021, the province has undergone a series of legal resets, each designed to postpone the vote. Islamabad's situation is even more absurd, as local elections have been postponed six times in five years, with candidates wasting millions in nomination fees and campaigning. This is not merely a waste of money but a fundamental erosion of citizens' constitutional rights.

The ECP admits that federal and provincial governments frequently amend local laws after terms expire, causing undue delays. The reason is simple: parties do not want local elections because they would bring more power to the people. Despite harping about its admittedly important role in passing the 18th Amendment, the PPP, like the PML-N, shows little enthusiasm for financial, administrative or political devolution from provinces to local communities. Such devolution would run the risk of breaking the patronage networks that sustain political dynasties.

The PTI has not been any better. During Imran Khan's premiership, when the party and its allies controlled most of the country, local elections were similarly sidelined. In K-P, local bodies were effectively neutered, and development funds were rerouted through provincial lawmakers. It is clear that every party's support for local elections has an inverse relationship to its influence in the relevant provincial assembly.