ECP delays first phase of LG polls by 19 days after requests from Punjab, Sindh

Punjab and Sindh say floods, law and order situation owing to Muharram the reason for seeking delay in polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Friday that the first phase of local government polls were being delayed by 19 days till October 31 owing to floods in Punjab and Sindh.

The ECP issued a notification on Friday stating that the provincial governments had requested to re-consider holding the first phase of elections on October 12.

According to the notification, both provinces had requested the delay due to “flood situation, involvement of district administration and law enforcement agencies in rehabilitation process and maintenance of law and order during Muharram.”

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Earlier on Wednesday, the ECP had announced that the first phase of local government polls in 12 districts of Punjab and 13 districts of Sindh will be held on October 12. That announcement came after criticism by the Supreme Court of Pakistan over the commission’s failure to fulfill constitutional obligations.

Interestingly, barely any of the districts where first phase of polls are scheduled to be held in Punjab and Sindh, have been affected by floods.

However, ECP acquiesced to the demand of the provincial governments and issued revised schedule for the first phase whereby polls will be held on October 31 instead of October 12 as announced earlier.

Read: Gearing for elections: ‘ECP must take note of PML-N’s gerrymandering’

First Phase

According to the revised schedule, the new schedule will be announced on August 26, while notifications to ROs will be issued on September 1.  Candidates can file their nomination papers between September 7 and 11.

The 12 districts which would go to polls in the first phase in Punjab include; Lodhran and Vehari in Multan division, Okara and Pakpattan in Sahiwal division, Bahwalnagar in Bahwalpur division, Faisalabad in Faisalabad division, Bhakkar in Sargodha, Lahore, Kasur and Nankana Sahib in Lahore division, Gujraat in Gujranwala division and Chakwal in Rawalpindi division.

In the revised schedule only eight districts in Sindh would go to polls in the first phase. These include Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki in Sukkur division and Larkana, Shikarpur, Qamber Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Kashmore Kandhkot in Larkana division. In the last schedule 13 districts of Sindh were supposed to go for polls in the first phase.

Returning officers in these districts in both provinces will issue public notices of schedule on September 1. The intending candidates would be required to submit nominations from September 7 to 11, and polling will take place on October 31 after completing the scrutiny and other procedures.

Second Phase

According to ECP’s new notification, polling for second phase of LG elections will be held in another 12 districts of Punjab and 15 in Sindh on November 19 - as per the previously announced schedule.

Districts in Punjab which will go for polls in the second phase include Khanewal in Multan, Sahiwal in Sahiwal division, Toba Taik Singh and Chiniot in Fasialabad division, Sargodha and Mianwali in Sargodha division, Sheikupura in Lahore division, Gujranawal, Hafizabad and Mundi Bahauddin in Gujranwala division, Attock and Jehlum in Rawalpindi division.

In Sindh, districts Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu and Jamshoro in Hyderabad division will go for polls. Other districts in Sindh that would go for polls in second phase include; Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz and Sanghar in Shaheed Benazirabad division, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparker in Mirpurkhas division.

Third Phase

Polling for the third phase of LG polls will be held on December 3. Twelve districts in Punjab and six in Sindh-mainly Karachi would go for polls in the third phase.

Districts in Punjab where elections will be held in third phase include Layyah, Rajanpur, D. G Khan and Muzzafargarh in D G Khan division, Jhang in Faisalabad division, Khushab in Sargodha division, Rawalpindi in Rawalpindi division, Sialkot and Narowal in Gujranwala division, Rahimyar Khan and Bhawalpur in Bahawalpur division and Multan in Multan division.

In Sindh, Karachi division which is divided into six districts: Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Korangi and Malir would go for polls in the third and last phase.

ECP and the two provinces have missed many deadlines and postponed polls a number of times during the past 6 years. Polls are due in these two biggest provinces in terms of population size since 2009.

Supreme Court has been pursuing the case of local government polls in the country for the past many years. On court’s pressure Balochistan went for LG polls in December 2013 and KPK in May this year.

During the previous hearing of the case apex court bench headed by incumbent CJP Justice Jawaad S Khawja this Tuesday reprimanded the electoral body for its failure to hold local government elections and postponing them a number of times during the past six years.

After Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry retired as chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Khawaja has been actively pursuing the case and leading the bench which is hearing different petitions seeking court’s directives to force provincial governments hold LG polls.

SC in its directives passed in March this year had ordered LG polls in Punjab and Sindh by September 20.That deadline has been missed already.

Some legal experts and political activists believe that Punjab and Sindh provincial governments were never willing to hold the LG polls in the near future as they are waiting for the retirement of Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.