ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that the hearing of the case related to local body elections in Karachi Division will be held on November 9 in which the date of the elections will be decided.
The decision was taken on Thursday in a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, in which members of the Election Commission, its secretary and special secretary also participated.
During the meeting, the forum decided to issue notices to the Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh for hearing.
Apart from this, the representatives of JI, PTI, PPP and MQMP will also be invited to present their position, so that after listening to all the stakeholders, the date of holding local body elections in all the districts of Karachi will be decided. can be decided.
The ECP was briefed on the provincial government’s report on the holding of local body elections in Karachi, which said that the police force was insufficient to conduct polling and that it was not possible to call forces from other districts of Sindh. It was also informed that additional police force has been dispatched to Islamabad on the request of the Ministry of Interior. Apart from this, their deployment at the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and international defense exhibition/seminar was essential. Therefore, it was impossible to hold local elections peacefully in Karachi.
The meeting was informed that the Director General Export Promotion Organization has written to the Ministry of Defense that the International Defense Exhibition/Seminar is being held at the Karachi Expo Center from November 15 to 18. A copy of the letter has also been shared with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The Director General has informed the Ministry of Defense that it will be difficult for the law enforcement agencies to provide simultaneous security for both the events i.e. Defense Exhibition/Seminar and Municipal Elections in Karachi. Therefore, Election Commission should also take into account the situation while deciding the date of election.
During Thursday’s meeting, the ECP Secretary briefed about the progress made by the Commission on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)/Overseas Voting. The Election Commissioner expressed satisfaction over the steps taken so far by the Project Management Unit (PMU). He directed the authorities to ensure transparency in the project and write to the federal government and the finance ministry to provide funds so that the project can progress further.
The Election Commission had formed a PMU unit last year, which is working on the plan/system and keeps the Commission informed of its suggestions and progress. The head of the unit also briefed the commission about the financial bid for Election Management System (EMS) including testing, training and piloting.
Calling these measures important, the CEC said that it is very important to take care of the sanctity of vote, confidentiality and credibility of the election. “It is also the responsibility of the Election Commission to take into account the convenience and confidence of all stakeholders,” he asserted.
