Sindh suggests Karachi LG Polls in two phases

KARACHI: Sindh government has suggested to hold local government polls in Karachi in two phases, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

“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,” sources said.

“Available police personnel will be deployed for the first phase of the local councils’ election, and it will later be posted for the second stage of the election,” according to the government proposal.

“Holding the election in two phases will make it convenient for the government,” the provincial government said in its suggestion to the electoral body.

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.

These include NA-22 (Mardan-III), NA-24 (Charsadda-II), NA-31 (Peshawar-V), NA-45 (Kurram-I), NA-108 (Faisalabad-VIII), NA-118 (Nankana Sahib-II), NA-237 (Malir-II), NA-239 (Korangi-I), NA-157 (Multan-IV), PP-139 (Sheikhupura-V), PP-241 (Bahawalnagar-V) and PP-209 (Khanewal-VII).

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