KARACHI: Several political parties have agreed to delay local government (LG) elections in Sindh which are scheduled to be held next month.
The political parties include the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).
The rare consensus among the parties emerged during a meeting of the steering committee on changes in Local Government Act chaired by Sindh LG Minister Nasir Shah. The parties decided to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking postponement of the polls.
Nasir Shah had said that suggestions and recommendations of the member parties would be made part of the local government law by consensus.
He said the concerns of all parties would be taken into consideration and decisions would be taken by consensus. He said that the local government representative would be given more powers in the amended law.
The decision to postpone the local government elections came after the ECP recently issued schedule for the elections.
Polling for the first phase of the LG election in four divisions of Sindh is scheduled to be held on June 26, while elections would be held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions on July 24 in the second phase.
The PTI and GDA have already approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking postponement of local government polls.
The petitioners argued that the impugned notification issued by the ECP to hold the first phase of local government (LG) elections in four divisions of Sindh on June 26, was a violation of a Supreme Court judgment declaring various provisions of Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA), 2013 violating the Constitution.
They contended that the LG elections could not be conducted unless the new local government law was enacted in the light of apex court order. They asserted that the LG elections under SLGA 2013 was not only a futile exercise but also a waste of financial resources.
