LG polls: Cantonments to hold non-party LG polls in November

Ministry of defence to move SC to seek extension in date for the conduct of polls.

ISLAMABAD:

Local bodies’ elections will be held in all but one cantonment boards of the country in the first week of November.

The decision was taken in a high-level meeting held at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretariat on Tuesday. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani presided over the meeting where attendees included officials from the Military Land & Cantonment Department, Ministry of Defence, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) officials, provincial election commissioners and senior ECP officers.

The meeting reviewed arrangements so far made by the ECP in collaboration with the cantonment authorities for the LB elections in all 43 cantonment boards of the country. The meeting, however, concurred that LB polls could not be in Ormara Cantt due to a host of issues.

The ECP ordered that a committee should be formed under the chairmanship of Balochistan’s provincial election commissioner for further deliberations on this issue.



The Ministry of Defence will request the Supreme Court through the attorney general of Pakistan for extension in timeframe for holding the elections until first week of November. The ministry had earlier committed to the top court that the LB elections would be held by September 15.

The meeting was informed that the Ministry of Defence has sent a draft Cantonment Amendment Ordinance, 2013 to the prime minister on August 16, seeking his assent. The prime minister is said to have sent the summary to the president who is likely to approve and promulgate the Cantonment Amendment Ordinance, 2013.

The draft proposals for delimitation of wards for LB elections in cantonment boards were published in the newspapers inviting objections by the Delimitation Officer/ Chief Executive Officer of each Cantonment Board.

The objections received from general public in response will be placed before the Appellate Authorities/District & Sessions Judge of each concerned district for hearing and disposal in accordance with law and the exercise will hopefully be completed by September 20.



The ECP directed Nadra to ensure data entry of applications filed under section 18 of the Electoral Rolls Act for enrolment of votes and priority will be given to applications made from the cantonment areas.

Of the total 43 cantonment boards, 20 are in Punjab, 8 in Sindh, 11 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and four in Balochistan. These cantonments are governed by the pre-Partition Cantonments Act, 1924.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2013.