ISLAMABAD: Punjab government Wednesday refused to give any date to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding local government elections in Pakistan’s largest province as the ECP expressed ‘annoyance’ with provincial government, accusing it of being ‘non-serious’ in holding the LG polls and gave it 15 more days to give the related date.
In a meeting between ECP and Punjab government officials, Secretary Local Government Punjab Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan conveyed to the electoral body that the provincial government could not give any date for holding LG polls in Punjab as the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) had clearly recommended postponing the LG polls due to rapid spread of coronavirus across the country. The secretary LG sought more time from the ECP to provide a date for LG polls.
This did not go down well with the electoral body. “It seems that Punjab government is not serious in holding LG polls that is why it is giving lame excuses,” said Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sutan Raja who presided over the meeting.
The ECP directed the provincial government to provide LG polls’ date within next 15 days. The Commission also directed the provincial government to name and publish panchayat and village councils latest by the 10th of this month, the deadline the commission gave to the provincial government in a meeting held on the 30th of the last month.
The secretary LG Punjab assured the ECP that panchayat and village councils would be named and published by the given date.
In December 30 meeting, the ECP said that holding LG elections in Punjab was necessary under the law before the coming February 3, and directed its offices to take steps for ensuring LG polls in Pakistan’s largest province “as early as possible.” In the same meeting, the ECP directed the Punjab government to name panchayat and village councils latest by January 10 and warned that the Commission would notify delimitation of constituencies for LG elections on old names of panchayat and village councils if Punjab government failed to name panchayat and village councils by the given deadline.
Secretary ECP Dr Akhtar Nazir had briefed the meeting that The Punjab Village Panchayats and Neighbourhood Councils Act was notified on May 4 last year. Under the law, the provincial government is bound to establish local bodies in the province within 21 weeks of the enforcement of this law. The ECP was of the view that holding LG elections in Punjab before the coming February 3 was necessary under the law.
On August 5, 2020, ECP directed Punjab government to provide a date for holding LG polls at upper tier, village and neighbourhood councils in the province but the provincial government did not comply with the ECP’s instructions.
On October 14 last year, ECP said there was no legal justification to delay LG elections in Punjab, saying the electoral body had repeatedly reminded the Punjab government to provide a date for LG polls which has not been done so far.
Moreover, the ECP earlier gave the deadline of October 13, 2020 to Punjab Government to name village and neighbourhood councils. In this regard, Chief Minister Punjab’s office informed the Commission that a cabinet committee was reviewing the names for village and neighbourhood councils to put its recommendations before the provincial cabinet.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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