Farooq Sattar decides to field ‘Azad Pakistan’ panel in LG elections

KARACHI: Former MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar has decided to field an independent panel named ‘Azad Pakistan’ in the local government elections scheduled for July 24, ARY NEWS reported.

Farooq Sattar has formed a panel of his candidates in multiple union councils in the city and has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to allot similar election symbols to candidates in the panel.

In a letter written to election commissioner Syed Nadeem Haider, Farooq Sattar said that candidates of his panel should be allotted an election symbol of laptop, or wall, or lock for the upcoming polls.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday rejected a plea from major political parties in the province to delay the local government elections.

The SHC while rejecting the plea to halt elections scheduled in the province in two phases on June 26 and July 24 directed the ECP to hold the polls as per the schedule.

During the hearing, Justice Junaid Ghaffar asked the ECP counsel why elections were delayed beyond a mandatory 120-day period. “Census and delimitation process led to the delay and as soon as the government approved the 2017 census we initiated the election process,” he said.

He added that local government elections have already been conducted in KP and Balochistan provinces while the process is being delayed in Punjab owing to court orders and ordinances.

“The first phase of polls in Sindh will be on Sunday and preparations are also completed for the second phase scheduled in July,” he said.