‘No more delay’: Local government polls to be held on schedule, says ECP
Sindh to hold elections on Jan 18, Punjab on Jan 30.
Sindh to hold elections on Jan 18, Punjab on Jan 30. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to go for local government elections on January 18 in Sindh and on January 30 in Punjab and warned provinces that there should be no more delay.
In its maiden meeting on Monday with the new acting Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Nasirul Mulk in chair, the ECP decided to notify the polling schedule in the two provinces on December 7. The commission was due to notify it on November 29, but failed to do so because both the provinces did not complete the pre-requisites in time.
ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan told reporters after the meeting that the election commission has written a letter to both the provinces to submit final copies of the three pre-requisite legislations, rules and delimitations by December 5 or December 6.
“We are bound to hold polls on the dates given by the Supreme Court. The schedule will be issued on December 7. There should be no reason for any further delay,” he said.
Delayed a number of times, the ECP last month had submitted before the Supreme Court that elections in Sindh and Punjab will be held on January 18 and January 30, respectively. It further said that it would complete the LG polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, cantonment areas and Islamabad before the end of February.
The Supreme Court has admitted the plea and granted ECP permission to withdraw the earlier schedule it issued under which Sindh and Punjab were to go to polls in December this year.
Ishtiaq Khan said that the election authorities have written letters to K-P, defence secretary and interior secretary to finalise their pre-requisites by the first week of January and the commission would issue polls schedule in these areas by second week of January.
ECP has also asked K-P to extend its LG legislation for areas that have special status of Provincially Administered Areas (PATA).
Progress of the provinces
ECP officials said that Punjab has informed the commission that it has prepared its LG legislation and formulated the rules accordingly. However, its delimitations are still in progress.
Sindh has completed all the three pre-requisites, however, the commission has pointed out some flaws in the rules framed by the province, such as the candidates contesting in panels. There is no elaboration about how exactly would these panels be formed and the minimum or maximum number of candidates on one panel, the ECP pointed out.
Another flaw highlighted was that there is no mention of when these panels will be formed and what would be status of an intending candidate if he does not want to contest polls under any panel. A major lacuna is that there is no mechanism available for the returning officer to determine to which parties the candidates belong. Some ECP officials commented that provincial authorities have prepared these rules just as a formality, insinuating that little thought was put into it.
The ECP secretary, when questioned on the issue, said, “Legislation, rules and delimitations were the responsibility of the provincial governments. If there is any interruption in the election schedule due to a lacuna, we will not be responsible for that. We have conveyed this to them in clear words”.
Balochistan polls on Dec 7
Balochistan will be the first province that will hold local government election since the last local bodies system expired in 2009. The ECP secretary said the LG polls in Balochistan would be held on December 7 as per schedule. He said the election material was being delivered in the province through C-130 aircraft.
Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan said maintaining law and order will be the responsibility of the provincial governments and they would have to decide the deployment of forces at the polling stations.
Lesser material needed
ECP officials said that since the Sindh polls will be contested by panels, it would need lesser ballot papers than estimated. It would need 30 million ballot papers now against the earlier estimates of 110 million.
After the ECP decided to go for “non-magnetic” ink for thumb impressions, it would need around 0.57 million pads for thumb impressions against the earlier estimates of over one million.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2013.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to go for local government elections on January 18 in Sindh and on January 30 in Punjab and warned provinces that there should be no more delay.
In its maiden meeting on Monday with the new acting Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Nasirul Mulk in chair, the ECP decided to notify the polling schedule in the two provinces on December 7. The commission was due to notify it on November 29, but failed to do so because both the provinces did not complete the pre-requisites in time.
ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan told reporters after the meeting that the election commission has written a letter to both the provinces to submit final copies of the three pre-requisite legislations, rules and delimitations by December 5 or December 6.
“We are bound to hold polls on the dates given by the Supreme Court. The schedule will be issued on December 7. There should be no reason for any further delay,” he said.
Delayed a number of times, the ECP last month had submitted before the Supreme Court that elections in Sindh and Punjab will be held on January 18 and January 30, respectively. It further said that it would complete the LG polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, cantonment areas and Islamabad before the end of February.
The Supreme Court has admitted the plea and granted ECP permission to withdraw the earlier schedule it issued under which Sindh and Punjab were to go to polls in December this year.
Ishtiaq Khan said that the election authorities have written letters to K-P, defence secretary and interior secretary to finalise their pre-requisites by the first week of January and the commission would issue polls schedule in these areas by second week of January.
ECP has also asked K-P to extend its LG legislation for areas that have special status of Provincially Administered Areas (PATA).
Progress of the provinces
ECP officials said that Punjab has informed the commission that it has prepared its LG legislation and formulated the rules accordingly. However, its delimitations are still in progress.
Sindh has completed all the three pre-requisites, however, the commission has pointed out some flaws in the rules framed by the province, such as the candidates contesting in panels. There is no elaboration about how exactly would these panels be formed and the minimum or maximum number of candidates on one panel, the ECP pointed out.
Another flaw highlighted was that there is no mention of when these panels will be formed and what would be status of an intending candidate if he does not want to contest polls under any panel. A major lacuna is that there is no mechanism available for the returning officer to determine to which parties the candidates belong. Some ECP officials commented that provincial authorities have prepared these rules just as a formality, insinuating that little thought was put into it.
The ECP secretary, when questioned on the issue, said, “Legislation, rules and delimitations were the responsibility of the provincial governments. If there is any interruption in the election schedule due to a lacuna, we will not be responsible for that. We have conveyed this to them in clear words”.
Balochistan polls on Dec 7
Balochistan will be the first province that will hold local government election since the last local bodies system expired in 2009. The ECP secretary said the LG polls in Balochistan would be held on December 7 as per schedule. He said the election material was being delivered in the province through C-130 aircraft.
Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan said maintaining law and order will be the responsibility of the provincial governments and they would have to decide the deployment of forces at the polling stations.
Lesser material needed
ECP officials said that since the Sindh polls will be contested by panels, it would need lesser ballot papers than estimated. It would need 30 million ballot papers now against the earlier estimates of 110 million.
After the ECP decided to go for “non-magnetic” ink for thumb impressions, it would need around 0.57 million pads for thumb impressions against the earlier estimates of over one million.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2013.