The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday expressed concern over non-provision of relevant data for the local government elections in Punjab by the provincial government, and has asked the provincial chief secretary to immediately provide the required data.
In this regard, a top-level meeting at the ECP presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja reviewed "Draft Punjab Village Punchayat and Neighbourhood Councils Rules, 2020" and finalised certain observations regarding the proposed rules that deal with the conduct of LG elections at the village and union council levels in Punjab, Business Recorder has learnt.
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, sources in the ECP told Business Recorder.
Corresponding to this move, the commission wrote a letter to Chief Secretary Punjab Major Azam Suleman Khan (retired) instructing him to provide the required data at the earliest so as to enable the ECP to take steps for the conduct of LG polls in Punjab, it was learnt.
An ECP official, requesting anonymity, told Business Recorder that the decision to hold the LG polls in the provinces mainly lied with the provincial governments concerned and the federal government was responsible for holding the LG polls in the Islamabad Capital territory (ICT) as well as the Cantonment Boards.
"The LG polls cannot be held anywhere in Pakistan, if the relevant government is not willing to hold these polls. The ECP can complete procedural modalities once the government decides to hold the polls," the source said.
On January 30th, the ECP announced to start delimitation of wards in 42 Cantonment Boards (CBs) across the country and mentioned March 27th as the date to issue the final notification regarding completion of the delimitation exercise.
Constitutionally, the schedule for the LG elections in CBs cannot be issued, if the exercise of delimitation of wards is not completed and officially notified, sources in the ECP said.
"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 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 Galli, Havelian, Abbottabad, Hyderabad, Pannu Aqil, Faisal, Malir, Korangi, Manora, Clifton, and Karachi.
Following 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 officials from the district administrations concerned, military lands and cantonments department and the ECP.
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