First phase of LG polls to be held on November 11, followed by second and third phase on Nov 29 and Dec 19. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD: In the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan submitted a proposed schedule for conducting local government (LG) elections in Punjab and Sindh from November 11 in three phases.
According the proposed schedule, the first phase of LG polls will be held on November 11. The second and third phases will be held on November 29 and December 19, respectively.
In the first phase, LG polls will be held in 12 districts of Punjab, which include Lodhran, Vehari, Okara, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh Sargodha, Kasir, Nankana Sahib, Gujarat, Rawalpindi and Attock.
In Sindh, the first phase will see polls being held in eight districts including Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana, Qamber Shahadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmore.
In the second phase, the ECP has proposed LG elections will be held in 12 districts of Punjab, including: Khanewal, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Khushab, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Chakwal and Jhelum.
For the second phase in Sindh, the election authority has proposed polls in 14 districts, including Shaheed Benazirabad, Nowshehro Feroze, Dadu, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas.
Read: LG polls — another delay
In the last phase, the commission has suggested polls in 12 districts of Punjab, including Pakpattan, Layyah, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Muzzaffargarh, Jhang, Bhakkar, Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, RY Khan and Multan.
Likewise, it has also recommended seven districts of Sindh for polls in the last stage including six districts of Karachi and Hyderabad.
The ECP in its report said it reserved the flexibility of excluding or including any district in the first, second and third phase of the LG polls on the request of the respective provincial government.
Reasons for holding the LG polls in three phases
Having assured the apex court that it will complete the election process for holding the LG polls in both provinces by September 26, the ECP gave five reasons for the delay and for holding polls in three phases.
The reasons include floods in Sindh and Punjab; shortage of resources and manpower; the law and order situation; Hajj and Muharram considerations in September and October; and lastly lessons from LG elections in K-P – where holding elections in several districts in one day had proven to be extremely difficult.
The three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja will now examine the proposed schedule and are expected to pass an order in this regards on Thursday.
Read: PML-N leader petitions SC against LG polls
In December 2013, the high courts of both provinces had struck down the delimitations carried out by the respective governments and on March 19, 2014, the Supreme Court put off the polls for eight months, empowering the ECP to carry out fresh delimitations.
One year later, the court ordered the ECP to ensure that elections were held on September 26 in both provinces. But the ECP has again requested the SC to delay the LG polls for few months and allow holding the elections in three phases.
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