ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan today rejected Sindh government’s decision to postpone Local Government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad and said the polls will be held on Jan 15.
In a statement issued today, ECP said it will not allow Sindh government to postpone LG elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.
The Commission reminded the Ministry of Interior to arrange deployment of security officials at the most sensitive polling stations in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami and PTI have called off a protest outside the ECP office in Karachi after the commission said LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad will be held on Jan 15.
Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami and PTI leaders decided to resist further delay in the local bodies polls in Karachi and Hyderabad.
On Thursday night, Sindh government postponed the LG elections in Karachi and Hyderabad saying its ally _ MQM-P has shown some reservations against delimitation in different constituencies in both the cities.
Moreover, JI Karachi president Hafiz Naeem-Ur-Rehman said, “Jamaat-e-Islami wouldn’t endorse the postponement of the LG elections.”
He said that the Sindh government’s decision is a joint ambush of PPP and MQM-P on Karachi and Hyderabad.
Earlier, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon disclosed early Friday morning that the government has postponed the LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Addressing a press conference, Sharjeel Memon said the provincial government postponed the LB polls after MQM-P has rejected delimitation of the constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad.
He said, “MQM-P are our allies in the federal government and we take their concerns seriously.”
Furthermore, the Ministry of Interior requested Pakistan Army to deploy 20,000 soldiers outside the most sensitive polling stations in Karachi and Hyderabad.
However, a couple of days ago, Pakistan Army refused the deployment of soldiers during the local bodies elections in both the cities.
The Ministry of Interior sought the deployment of army during LBs polls in both the cities in Sindh on Jan 15. However, Sindh government has postponed the LBs polls while ECP vowed to hold polls on Jan 15.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
