ISLAMABAD: The electoral body on Tuesday accused the Interior Ministry of refusing to ensure the static deployment of military and paramilitary personnel in the local government elections for Karachi division, which were scheduled on October 23, and announced to postpone these polls, for the third time, citing shortage of security personnel—only two days after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) clinched victory in the by-elections on 11 seats of National and Punjab assemblies.
In addition, the PTI handed an outright rejection of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to postpone the Karachi LG polls, and also lambasted the government in this context.
“Once again, the imported government ran away from Karachi LG elections—polls postponed—how far will you run?” tweeted PTI Secretary General Asad Umar.
“If there was any doubt at all of the bias embedded in present ECP led by a CEC, who is now effectively working for PML-N & Imported Govt, this should remove that doubt. This duality of approach, shown below, has no rationality behind it at all!” tweeted PTI’s Dr Shireen Mazari.
The electoral entity also announced holding by-election on NA seat NA-45 Kurram on October 30.
The decisions were taken in an ECP meeting presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
Sindh govt requests further delay in Karachi LG polls
East, West, South, Central, Korangi, Keamari, and Malir are the seven districts of Karachi division where the LG polls have been postponed.
“After thorough consideration of the matter, it has been decided that the ECP has no other option but to postpone the LG elections in Karachi. The safety of voters and conduct of peaceful elections are the foremost priorities of ECP,” the electoral body said in a statement issued after the meeting.
It said the ECP would hold another meeting after 15 days to review the matter.
The ECP said the Interior Ministry informed it that Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers were not in a position to provide security personnel for static deployment outside the polling stations but were ready to perform security duties as Quick Response Force (QRF) for Karachi LG polls—due to the shortage of police personnel.
In addition, the Sindh government has informed the electoral body that it is faced with a shortage of 16,785 police personnel due to their engagement in flood relief operations, according to the ECP.
The Sindh government has requested the ECP to postpone the Karachi LG polls for three months.
On August 24, the ECP decided to postpone the LG polls in all seven districts of the Karachi division on account of torrential rains that triggered heavy flooding in various parts of Karachi and the rest of Sindh.
A day earlier, on August 23, the ECP decided to postpone the LG polls in nine districts of the Hyderabad division— Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, TandoAllahyar, Badin, Sujawal, and Thatta.
The polls in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions were earlier scheduled on July 24 under the second phase— but the ECP, on July 20, postponed these polls and rescheduled them to August 28 – keeping in view the weather forecast of heavy downpours in the monsoon season.
Under the first phase, the LG elections were held on June 26 this year in 14 districts of Sindh - Larkana, KambarShahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, NaushehroFeroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, and Tharparkar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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