SC seeks solid reasons for holding phase-wise polls

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to give solid reason for holding local government elections in phases in Punjab and Sindh. The apex court declared the schedule given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding local government (LB) elections in Sindh and Punjab unsatisfactory ruling that no empirical data was provided justifying the delay in the elections.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Maqbool Baqar heard the case of LB elections in Sindh and Punjab. “This is not satisfactory as there must be a justification for a single day delay,” Justice Jawwad S Khawaja noted down in the court order.
The court observed that reasons were given in the application moved for delay in the elections but unfortunately they did not see any empirical reasons. The court directed the ECP to file empirical data of reasons as to why elections were delayed in the two provinces by August 18 and adjourned the hearing.
During the hearing, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja observed that the two provinces failed to render their constitutional obligation by ensuring holding of local government elections in the two provinces wherein the people had been deprived for the last six years.
Justice Khawaja recalled that since 2013, the ECP as well as the provinces had been giving assurances to the court on different hearings of the case for holding local government elections but the constitutional obligation was not yet fulfilled. The court must be informed as to why repeated delays were being made,” Justice Khawaja asked the ECP counsel.
Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed as to what was the justification that the military government held local government elections in the country three times. The ECP, the other day, submitted a phase-wise schedule for holding local government elections in the province of Sindh and Punjab.
The ECP informed the court that in Phase 1, local government elections in the two provinces would be held on November 14, Phase 2, November 29 and in Phase 3, elections would be held in two provinces on December 19, 2015. The court was informed that in the first phase the exercise would be done in 12 districts of Punjab including Lodhran, Vehari, Okara, Bahawalpur etc while in the second phase the exercise would be done in another 12 districts of Punjab including Khanewal, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Chinot Khushab etc.
In Sindh, the Commission proposed 14 districts and in the last phase the Commission suggested local government elections in 12 districts of Punjab including Pakpattan, Layyah, Rajanpur, DG Khan, etc.
Earlier before the interval, Sindh Advocate General Fateh Malik told the court that the province was gripped in difficult situation hence they apologised for not holding the local government elections.