ECP berates Sindh govt for foot-dragging on local body polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday reserved a verdict on a plea by the Sindh government seeking more time to bring in a new local government law before holding local body elections in the province.

An ECP bench hearing the case berated the provincial government for delaying the polls.

The commission said that the election body would carry out delimitations for the local body elections on the basis of the existing law if the new law is not introduced.

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“The Sindh government had sought a month’s time from the Election Commission. What did [it] do in one month? the bench asked, warning it of initiating contempt of court proceedings against it.

The government first blamed the non-issuance of the final census results for a delay in holding the LG polls, the commission noted, adding six months have gone by since the publication of the census result.

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Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the PPP government was not serious in holding the LG elections, requesting the ECP to direct the provincial government to come up with time frame for holding the polls.

The ECP bench observed that it had summoned the Sindh chief secretary but he didn’t turn up.