PTI moves SHC against another deferment of LG polls

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Thursday filed a petition in the Sindh High Court,

challenging another deferment of the second phase of the local government elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

PTI parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Khurrum Sher Zaman and other MPAs submitted in the petition that the ECP had notified the second phase of the local government elections on July 24 but it had rescheduled the polls to August 28 due to heavy monsoon rains in Karachi.

They submitted that the ECP again abruptly postponed the second phase of the polls scheduled to be held on August 28, and no new date had been announced by giving the excuse of inclement weather conditions and unavailability of law enforcement agencies.

They said the Sindh government intentionally and deliberately filed an application with ECP for deferment of the LG elections after seeing the PTI victory in the recent by-election in National

Assembly constituency NA-245, and the only reason for the deferment was to deprive the citizens of Karachi of their constitutional rights as guaranteed under Article 140-A.

They submitted that the ECP had the responsibility to conduct elections and make arrangements for holding the polls justly and fairly in accordance with the law.They further said the respondents were merely extending the time without any reason and they had failed to perform their constitutional obligations.

They submitted that the respondents had failed to conduct local government polls and transfer the powers to the representatives of the local governments as guaranteed under the constitution.

The court was requested to direct the ECP to conduct the polls on August 28, declaring the ECP notification of their postponement illegal, and in case of deferment announce a fresh schedule for the polls.