The Punjab government lauds Supreme Court's decision to allow the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce a new schedule for the local bodies' polls as desired by the Punjab and Sindh governments. Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, the Minister for Law and Local Bodies Rana Sanaullah said after decision of the Lahore High Court it had become impossible to hold local government polls on the party basis on 7th December.
He said that new nomination forms would be printed to include party affiliations of the candidates. However, he said the Punjab government was ready to hold polls on non-party basis on 7th December 2013, but the ECP had not completed its SOPs and arrangements to conduct the polls. He said in light of the Lahore High Court judgement to conduct LB polls on party basis, instructions have been issued to the Local Bodies department to prepare new electoral rules and regulations to implement the court decision. He said that the government is also considering a proposal to include name of candidates and symbols at the union council level in the ballot paper.
He maintained that it is responsibility of the Election Commission to hold polls on 30th January 2014 as per instructions of the Supreme Court. The provincial government will fully cooperate with the ECP in connection with correction of the voters' lists, he added.