ECP fixes Nov 9 for Karachi LG polls hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday fixed November 9 for hearing the case of local government elections in Karachi Division to decide on the poll date after listening to all stakeholders.

The Election Commission also considered the letter issued by Jamaat-e-Islami for holding immediate elections. For hearing, the forum decided to issue notices to the home secretary, chief secretary and IGP Sindh. Moreover, representatives from the JI, PTI, PPP and MQM-P will also be called to present their stance, so that the date for holding the local bodies elections in all the districts of Karachi could be decided after hearing all the stakeholders.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over a meeting, which was attended by the members of Election Commission, its secretary and special secretary.

The ECP was briefed on the report of the provincial government on holding local bodies elections in Karachi, in which it said that the police force is insufficient to conduct the polls and it is not possible to call force from other districts of Sindh. It was also pointed out that additional police personnel have been dispatched to Islamabad on the request of Interior Ministry. Apart from this, their deployment in the Covid-19 vaccination drive and international defence exhibition /seminar was necessary. Therefore, it was impossible to hold the local bodies elections peacefully in Karachi.

The meeting was informed that the director general, Export Promotion Organisation, had written a letter to the Ministry of Defence that the international defense exhibition/seminar was being held at the Karachi Expo Centre from November 15-18. A copy of the letter has been shared with the Election Commission of Pakistan as well.

The director general has informed the Ministry of Defence that it will be difficult for the law enforcement agencies to provide security for both the events i.e. defence exhibition/seminar and local bodies elections in Karachi, simultaneously. Therefore, the Election Commission should also take into account the situation while deciding the date of election.

During the Thursday’s meeting, the EC secretary briefed on the progress made by the commission on the EVM/overseas voting. The election commissioner expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the Project Management Unit (PMU) so far. He directed the office to ensure transparency in the project and write to the federal government and the Ministry of Finance to provide funds, so that further progress could be made on the project.

It may be recalled that the Election Commission had formed the PMU unit last year, which is working on the project/system and keeps the commission informed about its suggestions and progress. The head of the PMU also informed the Election Commission about the financial bid of the election management system (EMS), including testing, training and piloting.

The chief election commissioner termed these initiatives important, saying that it was very important to take care of the sanctity of the vote, secrecy and credibility of the election. “It is also the responsibility of the Election Commission to take into account the convenience and trust of all stakeholders,” he emphasised.