Plea to top court: Floods seen as a handy excuse to delay LG polls

ECP to cite flood rescue operation as reason for seeking postponement

ISLAMABAD:

Once again the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Punjab and Sindh are dragging their feet on holding Local Government (LG) elections, delayed since 2009.

A senior official in ECP revealed that the ECP, Punjab and Sindh governments have decided to approach the SC. They will be seeking to delay LG polls for a month due to the non-availability of Returning Officers (ROs) and District Returning Officers (DROs). The administrative machinery being busy in the recent flood is to be cited as justification for seeking the delay. It has been decided that the commission and both the provincial governments would file application seeking postponement of LG polls for one month.

According to the ECP’s earlier commitment before the apex court, the LG polls in both the provinces will be held on September 20.

It is also learnt that the Sindh government will move an application in the SC today (Saturday), seeking one-month delay regarding the holding of LG polls. Farooq H Naek will move the application on behalf of the Sindh government. Likewise, the ECP will file an application on the same subject the next week.

Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Friday recommended to the ECP that in view of the flood situation the proposed LG election should be delayed.

During the meeting, secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob briefed the committee that as per the SC order issued on March 10 the LG polls will be conducted on September 20. He however informed the meeting that deployment of army for the LG polls will not be feasible as they are engaged in flood rescue operations.

A senior official said that if the SC does not accept their plea for the postponement then the ECP will issue an election schedule for the existing dates.

The ECP has already moved a plea in the apex court, seeking permission to hold local government polls in Punjab and Sindh in phases. The request comes after massive administrative mismanagement was witnessed during the LG elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in May this year.

The SC will likely take up the ECP’s plea on August 3. On the same day the court has already fixed the matter related to the holding of LG polls in the capital.

Earlier, acting ECP secretary Sher Afgan submitting a report on nine-year delay in LG polls has blamed the provincial governments for not conducting elections. The provinces however amended the LG Ordinances and appointed administrators for performing the function and exercising the powers of the Nazims of respective LG governments.

Later on, the commission on May 14, 2010 wrote letters to chief secretaries, wherein provincial governments were requested to frame laws as early as possible.

A meeting was planned on August 31, 2010 with LG government departments but the provincial governments were not present stating other important engagements, the report adds.

Likewise, the report states that the ECP issued LG polls schedule for the conduct of LG polls in Punjab and Sindh on December 9 and December 18, 2013.

However, the Lahore High Court and Sindh High Court on December 26, 2013 and December 31, 2013 struck down the delimitation made by provincial governments. Therefore the commission on January 13, 2013 withdrew its election schedule.

Later on, the SC on March 19, 2014 delayed the LG polls for eight months and authorized the commission to carry out delimitation process. In March 2015 the court again took up the matter, wherein the ECP had assured that polls in both provinces would be held on September 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2015.