42 cantonment boards: Exercise of delimitation of wards may be completed by end of next month

The ongoing exercise of the delimitation of wards in the 42 cantonment boards (CBs) across the country is expected to be completed by the end of next month, following which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be constitutionally empowered to make arrangements for local bodies (LB) elections in the CBs, only if the federal government is willing to hold these polls.

On January 30th, the ECP issued a notification to start the delimitation exercise in the 42 CBs and mentioned March 27 as the date to issue the final notification regarding completion of the delimitation exercise.

Constitutionally, the schedule for the LB elections in CBs cannot be issued, if the exercise of delimitation of wards is not completed and officially notified, sources in the ECP told Business Recorder.

"Unless the final notification regarding the completion of the delimitation of wards in the CBs is issued, the schedule for LB polls in the cantonments cannot be issued and preparatory arrangements for the polls cannot be started," an ECP official privy to the matter said. The official said that the decision to hold the LB polls in the CBs primarily lied with the federal government, while related procedural modalities were completed by the ECP once the government decided to hold the polls.

After the expiry of the tenure of the CBs on December 9 last year, the ECP set up delimitation committees for wards' delimitation in the CBs. These committees include the officials from the district administrations concerned, Military Lands and Cantonments department and the ECP. As per the schedule issued by the ECP regarding wards delimitation in the CBs, the dates for completion of all the administrative arrangements including procurement of maps and relevant data, approval and notification of delimitation committees for each district was February 3- 7.

Preparation of preliminary list of constituencies for wards' delimitation in the CBs by the delimitation committees: February 10 - 17. Publication of preliminary list of wards for inviting representations and objections: February 18. Filing of representations and objections before the delimitation authorities: February 19-March 4. Disposal of representations and objections by the delimitation authorities: March 5- 19. Date for communication of decisions of delimitation authorities to the delimitation committees: March 20-26. Final notification of the delimitation of wards by the delimitation committees: March 27.

The ECP has appointed 19 Regional Election Commissioners (RECs) as delimitation authorities for the 42 CBs and District Election Commissioners (DECs) as conveners in the 29 districts where the 42 CBs are located.

The CBs where the delimitation exercise is carried out are: Rawalpindi, Taxila, Wah, Attock, Kamra, Sanjwal, Mangla, Murree Hills, Jhelum, Kharian, Lahore, Walton, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Shorkot, Sargodha, Okara, Multan, Bhawalpur, Quetta, Zhob, Loralai, Peshawar, Nowshera, Risalpur, Cherat, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Murree Gallis (separate from Murree Hills), Havelian, Abbottabad, Hyderabad, Pannu Aqil, Faisal, Malir, Korangi, Manora, Clifton, and Karachi cantonments.