SHC seeks comments from ECP, others on PTI plea by Sept 1

The Sindh High Court on Friday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the local government secretary and others on a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf challenging another deferment of the second phase of local government elections in Karachi by the ECP.

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 LG elections on July 24 but rescheduled them to August 28 due to heavy monsoon rains in the city.

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

They said the Sindh government intentionally and deliberately filed an application before the ECP for a deferment of the local government elections after seeing the victory of the PTI in the recent by-election held in National Assembly constituency NA-245. They claimed that the only reason for the deferment of the polls 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 the elections and make arrangements for holding them justly and fairly in accordance with the law. They alleged that the respondents were merely extending the time without any reason and had failed to perform their constitutional obligations.

They submitted that the respondents had failed to conduct the LG 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 the postponement of the polls as illegal, and in case of another deferment to announce a fresh schedule for the polls. A high court division bench headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, after the preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the ECP and others and called their comments on September 1.