ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday postponed the local government (LG) elections in Karachi scheduled for October 23, ARY News reported.
This was the third time ECP has postponed the second phase of LG polls in Sindh.
The decision was taken following a third request by the Sindh government seeking postponement for three months of the LG polls in seven districts of Karachi, citing shortage of personnel.
“The decision was taken in the best interest of public to ensure their safety & security. The elections required static deployment of law enforcement personnel which was refused by Interior. All 5000 polling stations declared sensitive,” said the election body in a statement.
The press release stated that ECP had no other option than to postpone the LG elections in 7 districts of Karachi.
Moreover, the ECP has decided to hold another meeting after 15 days to finalise date for local govt elections.
The development comes after the Sindh government had urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to postpone the local body elections in the metropolis citing a lack of security personnel in the city.
Also Read: Sindh suggests Karachi LG Polls in two phases
According to the letter written by the Sindh government to the ECP, the government urged to postpone the LG polls in Karachi for three months. Free and fair polls cannot be held without proper security, the government argued.
The letter read that Karachi is the most populous division of the country with a population bigger than Balochistan. At least 5,000 polling stations would be established to hold the LG polls, requiring at least 39,000 security personnel to maintain law and order.
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