Local bodies: SHC orders Sindh govt to hold polls within 90 days

KARACHI: Taking notice of a delay in local bodies election, the Sindh High Court ordered the government of Sindh on Friday to hold polls within 90 days, Express News reported.

The elections have not taken place since the last local government tenure ended in 2009.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had earlier remarked during a hearing in Balochistan that powers to hold local bodies election have been devolved to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, but they have not fulfilled their constitutional obligation.

The chief justice had directed the chief secretaries of all provinces to submit a report on the delay.

Officials had decided to argue Sindh’s case on the verification of electoral rolls and delimitation of constituencies as main factors responsible for the delay. It was decided that Advocate-General Sindh Fatah Malik would represent the province.

There has been a deadlock between Sindh’s coalition government partners – the Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – over the local government system. They are both preparing drafts of an LG system but there is little agreement.