Reaction: Sindh govt unhappy as ECP declines to delay LG polls to March

Speaker urges other assemblies to pass resolutions seeking delays.

KARACHI: The Sindh government is so unhappy that the local government elections were not delayed to March that it has absolved itself of any responsibility in case of unfair elections.

The disgruntled minister for parliamentary affairs, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, told the media on Tuesday that some institutions are insisting on establishing their “illogical” writ by holding the local government election in haste. “If so, the provincial government will not be held responsible for any misconduct or unfairness in this entire process,” he claimed, as he spoke hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan released the local government elections schedule, according to which Sindh will hold the polls on January 18.

“As per the law, it is the prerogative of the provincial government to hold the elections and propose a date for it but, unfortunately, some institutions are trying to encroach these rights,” he explained. “The provincial government does not believe in confrontation so it has no option but to hold the polls on January 18.”

On the other hand, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani gave credit to the Sindh Assembly for being the first provincial legislative forum that passed the local government law.  Durrani appealed to all political parties to shun their differences and join hands to fix one date for the local government polls. “The parliament and Sindh Assembly have passed resolutions to delay the elections but the apex court is not paying heed so other provinces should also follow this lead and seek more time.” According to the new schedule, the process of nomination papers will take place between December 10 and December 13, and the final list of the candidates will be displayed on December 26.

MQM leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that they will prefer to have more time so that his party can resolve the delimitation issue before the polls. PML-N’s Irfanullah Marwat was of the view that the elections will result in massive rigging if held in haste. He suggested seeking at least four to five months for preparations.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2013.