Sindh police seek postponement of second phase of LG elections

KARACHI: The Sindh police have approached Home Department asking them to postpone the second phase of local government (LG) elections in the province, citing shortage of personnel, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to details, the Home Department has forwarded to Provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah a report prepared by Sindh police, seeking the postponement of LG elections.

The police, in its report, stated that additional officials were summoned from other districts to maintain law and order during local body elections in Karachi. “Officials posted in flood-affected districts cannot return immediately,” it added.

The report further stated that the personnel of various units of Karachi police were also deployed in rural areas. It noted that the provincial police needs almost 39,000 personnel for polls in Karachi, adding that they were facing a shortage of 16,000 personnel.

It is pertinent to mention here that Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to postpone local government elections in Karachi after receiving inputs from the Sindh government.

Read more: ECP announces dates for LG, by-polls

The decision was taken by the chief election commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja citing reports received from the election commissioner Sindh and district administration.

Prior to the decision, the CEC asked the ECP secretary to seek reports on weather and flood situation in Sindh to decide on holding local government elections in Karachi on August 28.

On September 19, the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of Jamshoro and Dadu districts requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone second phase of local government (LG) elections, citing devastation caused by heavy rains and subsequent floods.

The DCs wrote to the electoral body asking them either to postpone the second phase of local government (LG) elections or review the situation due to devastation caused by floods.

The deputy commissioners, in their separate letters, noted that the cities’ infrastructures have been severely affected due to floods, maintaining that it was impossible to hold LG polls immediately.