ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government is yet to provide a date to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding local government (LG) elections even after the lapse of more than three months since the commission first asked the said date and issued several reminders in this regard.
On Aug 5, the ECP directed the 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, it is learnt.
On Oct 14, the 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.
The ECP said it had given the deadline of Oct 13, to name village and neighbourhood councils. In this regard, Punjab CM's office informed the commission that a cabinet committee was reviewing the names for village and neighbourhood councils and put its recommendations before the provincial cabinet, it is further learnt. The provincial government also requested the ECP to extend the date for publication of preliminary list of delimited constituencies for village and neighbourhood councils in Punjab which was to be done on Oct 15, Business Recorder has learnt.
However, the provincial government did not give any date to the commission regarding naming village and neighbourhood councils.
Earlier on Sep 18, the ECP also revised the date for publication of preliminary list of delimited constituencies in Punjab, on the request of provincial government, which were to be published on Sep 18, and extended this date for another 15 days.
The ECP is of the view that since delimitation of constituencies is not required for upper tier LG polls and the ECP has already notified the electoral units as per law-therefore, there is no legal justification for delay in LG polls in Punjab.
Also, the ECP last month had decided to summon the secretaries of the ministries of Parliamentary Affairs and Law and Justice in the backdrop of repeated intimations sent to both the ministries to notify the results of population census 2017. No progress in notifying the population census results is reported to have been made despite several reminders from the ECP.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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