Commission asks Sindh to meet security shortfall by demanding Punjab to provide police to province

ISLAMABAD      -       The Election Commission of Pakistan [ECP] yesterday reserved the ruling over the case of repeated postponement of local bodies’ polls in Karachi. A five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, reserved the verdict over the pending matter. PPP’s Murtaza Wahab, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and MQM’s Waseem Akhtar were present during the hearing. IG Sindh, Chief Secretary Sindh, and secretary local government department appeared before the electoral body. The electoral watchdog said the commission wanted to hold local body polls in Karachi at the earliest. Sindh High Court (SHC), over a week ago, had asked the top election body regarding the pending matter of local bodies’ polls in Karachi. Special Secretary Election Commission Zafar Iqbal, during the hearing, argued the top election body that municipal elections were postponed because of the rains in the area. However, the provincial government of Sindh had approved postponement of local body elections for [another] 90 days. The ECP secretary asked the Ministry of Interior about the position of Frontier Corps (FC) and Pakistan Rangers for provision of security and maintenance of law-and-order situation during the local government polls. Karachi Administrator and Government of Sindh’s spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that the second phase of elections was postponed twice due to rains and flood. He said it was not possible to provide security forces and administrative staff for the elections in Karachi. The Commission asked Sindh to meet security shortfall by asking Punjab to provide police to the province. During the hearing, the former mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar raised concerns that LG elections had not been held in Sindh for two years. Akhtar said that his party had concerns over the census and that there was a dispute over the delimitation of constituencies. PTI lawyer Shahab Imam said a date should be announced for local bodies elections in Karachi. The commission, over the completion of arguments, reserved the verdict for indefinite period.