KARACHI: Municipal elections – scheduled for January 15 – will not be held in Karachi, Hyderabad and Dadu, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced early on Friday, drawing strong condemnation from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the party. done Islamic (JI)
In a press conference, the Information Minister said that this decision was taken after the Sindh government withdrew the notification related to delimitation of constituencies in Karachi as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) had reservations over it.
“They (MQM-P) are our allies in the federal government and we take the concerns of our allies very seriously,” the minister said, denying that the decision was taken under pressure.
The development came after the provincial cabinet, chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, held a late-night meeting when the MQMP threatened not to allow local elections.
The second round of local body elections was scheduled to be held on July 24 last year, but the Sindh government canceled the polls citing security and police absence due to floods. Later, the elections scheduled for August 28, October 23 were also postponed, and today was announced to be held on January 15, making it the fourth time that polling has been postponed.
As MQMP factions united on Thursday, party convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui also warned that they would “fight for their ‘rights'” if their concerns over the local body polls were not addressed. “Will fight”.
In a presser, later, the Information Minister noted that despite the delay in elections in three districts, elections in Tando Ulyar, Badin, Sajawal, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari, Jamshoro would be held as per schedule.
Sindh government is ready to conduct elections in these districts and people there should be ready for elections. Memon said that there will be no delay in the elections in these districts.
Defending the decision not to hold polls was the lack of police personnel deployed at polling stations, while the Army also apologized through the General Headquarters (GHQ) in view of the border situation and militancy. .
For those representatives who have been elected in the first phase and will be elected in the second phase, the information minister said that the Sindh Cabinet will meet again tomorrow at 11 am to decide whether to take oath. When will the ceremony take place?
Responding to a question that a similar situation occurred during the recently postponed local body polls in Islamabad, Memon said: “The Election Commission has its own rules of business and so do the honorable courts and we also need them. We have to see what they decide.”
The Information Minister defended the decision to delay two days before the elections, saying that the government cannot take a decision as the matters are pending and institutions are hearing cases related to it.
Memon said, “Also, MQM-P has been our ally and they are still our ally in the federal government, so definitely, when they have a complaint, we try to accommodate them at our level. Will,” Memon said.
Shortly after the announcement, the MQM-P delegation reached the Chief Minister’s House to thank the Sindh government for complying with the party’s demand to delay the local elections.
The MQMP delegation was led by Farooq Sattar and included Wasim Akhtar, Faisal Sabzwari and Mustafa Kamal. Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Food Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Provincial Minister Taimur Talpur and Sindh Government Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab were also present on this occasion.
Decision of PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami
In response, the PTI has decided to stand firm on the provincial government’s decision to postpone the elections and has said that the party will challenge the delay in the courts.
In a statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh said that the MQMP has acted as a pressure group for a “subordinate team” of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He said that both parties MQM and PPP are two sides of the same coin.
Sheikh insulted PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari without naming him and said: “Sindh’s biggest disease and money worshiper fled Karachi when he had to lick the dust in Punjab.” He demanded that Zardari quit politics, admitting moral and political defeat.
The PTI leader claimed that the people of Karachi had identified “hired killers and killers” of migrants and Sindhis. Sheikh said that the provincial government decided to delay the elections as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was quite scared of the defeat in Karachi and Hyderabad.
He claimed that one person – PTI Chairman Imran Khan – has exposed the entire system to the public. The PTI leader said that those who talk about democracy are afraid of the democratic rights of the people.
He further said that the idea of going public has disturbed the two parties MQMP and PPP. Sheikh said that the plan to occupy the city through CM House, Bilawal House and Governor House has “flopped”.
Speaking to JEE News over phone, JI Karachi spokesperson Zahid Askari said the party would protest against the “anti-Karachi decision” as there was no moral or legal reason to postpone the polls.
The spokesperson noted that the party will explore every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to challenge the Sindh government’s decision.
Furthermore, the Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed MQM-P’s petition. The JI spokesperson asserted that Karachi cannot be put back on track without holding local elections.
He said that the provincial government’s decision was meant to benefit the MQMP, especially after their reunification. Askari said that, however, the citizens of Karachi have recognized the faces of these people.
He said that MQM-P has not been able to deliver and will not be able to deliver in spite of working with local bodies for 35 years.
He alleged that PPPM was making efforts to help QMP. The JI spokesperson alleged that there was collusion between the two parties but they kept issuing statements against each other.
The court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have given a decision in favor of holding local elections. “Therefore, the provincial government’s decision to postpone the elections is against democracy and the rule of law and in contempt of the court and the ECP’s decision,” he said.
