Sindh LG polls

The ECP has finally put paid to all rumours about the local-government election postponement in Sindh by ruling that the LG polls in Hyderabad, Karachi, and Thatta divisions will be held on Jan 15 as announced and planned earlier. CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja has been advocating for timely elections for the local bodies but the government of Sindh has been using multiple excuses to postpone these elections. Even the MQM filed a petition to challenge the decision of the electoral body for prospective simultaneous use of two separate electoral rolls in the upcoming elections. The ECP has rejected the MQM’s petition and the ball is in the court of the Sindh government that must complete all arrangements of the elections.

The provincial government is responsible for making sure that the chief secretary and the law-enforcement agencies are all on board and offer unconditional support and security to the ECP and its staff for the safe conduct of the elections. This is the second phase of LG polls that will require a sufficient number of security personnel for election duty. In addition to polling stations, offices of the district returning officers, returning officers (ROs) and even transport of polling material will require foolproof security arrangements. Since the polling material needs to be moved from the offices of the ROs to polling stations and back, in a city such as Karachi it is a challenge for the security teams.

Article 22 of the constitution requires the government to render all requisite assistance to the ECP. The people of Karachi and Hyderabad have been longing for a functioning LG system that is so vital for the smooth running of municipal services. All preparatory and organizational mechanisms must be in place within a week to ensure the completion of this exercise. There should be no impediment from any quarter to conduct the elections in a peaceful manner. It has been nearly two and a half years since the term of the local governments in Sindh expired in August, 2020. It is the constitutional obligation of the ECP and the provincial government to hold an election within four months after the expiry of the LG term but nearly all provincial governments in Pakistan have been busy creating obstacles in the conduct of election on various pretexts including census, delimitations, and even natural disasters.