LG polls in Punjab & KP: ECP asks CSs to promptly provide required data

Once again, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday expressed serious concern over non-provision of relevant data for the local government elections in Punjab and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and asked the chiefs secretaries of the two provinces to provide the required data for holding LG polls in the provinces "as early as possible".
A top-level meeting at the ECP, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, reviewed the arrangements for LG elections being taken by the ECP, the four provincial governments and the Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C) Department for the conduct of the LG polls in the provinces, and the Cantonment Boards (CBs) across Pakistan.
All the four provincial election commissioners and officials of the ML&C Department briefed the meeting on the arrangements for LG polls in the provinces and CBs respectively, according to an ECP statement issued on Wednesday.
The commission expressed serious concern over non-provision of the required information related to the proposed rules including necessary notifications, maps, chronological order of census blocks of religious minorities, and other related documents and asked the chief secretaries of the Punjab and the KP to provide the required data at the earliest for holding of the LG polls in the provinces as early as possible, the statement said.
Earlier on February 25, the ECP, in a meeting, expressed concern over non-provision of the relevant data by the Punjab, and asked chief secretary Punjab to immediately provide the required data.
In the same meeting that was also presided over by the CEC, the ECP reviewed Draft Punjab Village Punchayat and Neighbourhood Councils Rules, 2020, and finalised certain observations regarding the proposed rules that deal with the conduct of the LG elections at the village and union council levels in the Punjab.
On January 30, the ECP announced to start delimitation of wards in 42 CBs across the country and mentioned March 27 as the date to issue the final notification regarding completion of the delimitation exercise.
The CBs where the delimitation exercise is carried out are: Rawalpindi Cantonment, Taxila Cantonment, Wah Cantonment, Attock Cantonment, Kamra Cantonment Sanjwal Cantonment, Mangla Cantonment, Murree Hills Cantonment, Jhelum Cantonment, Kharian Cantonment, Lahore Cantonment, Walton Cantonment, Gujranwala Cantonment, Sialkot Cantonment, Shorkot Cantonment, Sargodha Cantonment, Okara Cantonment, Multan Cantonment, Bhawalpur Cantonment, Quetta Cantonment, Zhob Cantonment, Loralai Cantonment, Peshawar Cantonment, Nowshera Cantonment, Risalpur Cantonment, Cherat Cantonment, Mardan Cantonment, Kohat Cantonment, Bannu Cantonment, Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment, and Murree.