KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday morning directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce a new schedule for local body elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Announcing the verdict on JI and PTI’s petitions against the delay in the local body elections – which the Sindh High Court had reserved on November 14, the High Court also asked the Sindh government to provide security for the elections. .
Local elections have been delayed several times since July after the Sindh government repeatedly refused to provide security for the elections due to floods.
The elections were initially scheduled for July 24 but were delayed due to “bad weather and rains”. Polling was then scheduled to be held on August 28 and October 24, but the provincial government refused to provide security.
In its latest move to further delay polling, the provincial cabinet earlier this month approved the postponement of local body elections in Karachi division under the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 for another 90 days.
The ECP had also reserved its decision three days ago on the repeated postponement of local body elections in Karachi, while it is not clear when the decision will be delivered.
Victory of the people of Karachi
Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that the Election Commission should conduct the local elections as soon as possible and not delay them further.
“This is not just a victory for Jamaat-e-Islami, but a victory for the people of Karachi because through elections they will get a leadership that can solve their problems,” the JI chief said, adding that he hoped his party would win. Can help the people of Karachi.
Rehman then criticized the Sindh government for delaying the elections and said that the People’s Party does not want to hold local elections. “They have police to send to Islamabad, but they cannot provide law enforcement personnel for the elections.”
“It is time for them to accept their defeat and prepare themselves for the elections,” he added.
Speaking to reporters outside the High Court after the verdict, PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman said that his party had filed a petition against the delay two months ago.
Zaman said that the Sindh government has staged a drama of local body elections. “The Sindh government and its allies know that if elections are held, it will be the final nail in their coffin,” he added.
The PTI leader claimed that the court had ordered the elections to be held in four weeks.
