LG polls in Punjab, Sindh further delayed

ECP notifies to hold polling for first phase on October 31 instead of October 12

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI:

The top electoral body once again succumbed to the demand of Punjab and Sindh governments and announced on Friday to delay the first phase of local government polls till October 31.

After facing criticism from the Supreme Court of Pakistan for its failure to fulfill a constitutional obligation, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced to hold the first phase of the long-delayed local government polls in 12 districts of Punjab and 13 of Sindh on October 12.

However, the ECP on Friday issued another notification saying that provincial governments in Punjab and Sindh have requested to re-consider holding the first phase of elections on October 12.

Both the provinces requested the ECP to delay holding the first phase of polls due to “flood situation, involvement of district administration and law enforcement agencies in rehabilitation process and maintenance of law and order during Moharram”. Sindh had expressed reservations on both the date of polling and the inclusion of 13 instead of 8 districts in the first phase of the elections.

Interestingly, hardly any of the districts in both provinces where elections were scheduled in the first phase in the previously issued schedule had any flood-like situation.

The ECP and these 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 since 2009.

Punjab and Sindh which are being ruled by two largest parties Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) respectively for almost the past nine years have been resorting to delaying tactics on one pretext or the other.

The Supreme Court has been pursuing the case of local government polls in the country for the past many years. On the court’s pressure, Balochistan went for the LG polls in December 2013 and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) in May this year.

The SC in its directives passed in March this year had ordered LG polls in Punjab and Sindh by September 20. Some legal experts and political activists believe that Punjab and Sindh provincial governments are not willing to hold the LG polls in the near future as they are waiting for the retirement of incumbent apex court’s Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.

The first phase in the new schedule

The 12 districts which would go for polls in the first phase in Punjab include Lodhran and Vehari in Multan division, Okara and Pakpattan in Sahiwal division, Bahawalnagar in Bahwalpur division, Faisalabad in Faisalabad division, Bhakkar in Sargodha division, 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 for 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.

The second phase

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

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, Gujranwala, Hafizabad and Mandi 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 the second phase are Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz and Sanghar in Shaheed Benazirabad division, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparker in Mirpurkhas division.

The third phase

Polling for the third phase of LG polls will be held on December 3. Twelve districts in Punjab and 6 in Sindh – mainly Karachi would go for polls in the third phase.

Districts in Punjab where elections will be held in the third phase are Layyah, Rajanpur, DG Khan and Muzzafargarh in DG Khan division, Jhang in Faisalabad division, Khushab in Sargodha division, Rawalpindi in Rawalpindi division, Sialkot and Narowal in Gujranwala division, Rahim Yar Khan and Bhawalpur in Bahawalpur division and Multan in Multan division.

In Sindh province, 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.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2015.