Sindh seeks delay in LG Polls in Karachi for three months

KARACHI: Sindh government has pleaded again to the election commission for delaying local government polls in Karachi, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The government in a letter to the provincial election commissioner, has sought postponement of the local government elections in the port city for at least three months.

“Local elections should be held in two phases, if not being deferred,” the government suggested. “The polls might be held in three districts in the first phase and remaining four districts in the second leg,” the letter read.

“Police personnel are not available owing to relief operations in the flood-hit areas,” the government said.

“The proposal will be forwarded to the election commission to seek its opinion over the matter”, sources said.

“The government has given this proposal owing to deployment of police contingents in the flood-hit areas for relief operation,” sources said.

“The Chief Secretary and the I.G. Police had informed about unavailability of policemen in a session of the election commission,” according to the letter.

It is to be mentioned here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday decided that local council elections in Karachi and by-polls for national and provincial assemblies will take place on their scheduled dates.

The ECP had previously announced October 23 as the date for local government elections in Karachi division and Oct 16 as the date for by-elections in nine National Assembly and three provincial assembly constituencies across the country.

The second phase of the local government elections in Sindh was originally scheduled to take place on July 24. However, it was put off twice due to unprecedented rains and flooding in the province.