Final warning to Sindh ECP: SHC seeks LB elections schedule

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told the Sindh High Court (SHC) that it will conduct the local bodies elections in Sindh within 120 days on the conclusion of the outgoing local bodies’ tenure. During the hearing of a petition about the local bodies elections in Sindh on Wednesday, a division bench of the high court, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, asked the counsel for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) when would the tenure of local bodies end and elections be held.

The provincial election commissioner, Mohammad Javed Khan, and ECP law officer Abdullah Hanjra submitted that the term would expire on August 30 and within 120 days, the ECP would conduct the local government elections. They sought time to file comments in writing on the next hearing. The bench observed that despite several directions of the court, the ECP had failed to file its reply. The high court gave the last chance to the ECP and directed the commission to file comments by September 8.

Petitioner Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi had submitted that Article 140-A of the Constitution made it incumbent to hold the local bodies elections in the provinces. He submitted that the local bodies in Sindh had completed their four-year tenure, but despite the completion of the tenure, the provincial government and the ECP were not taking steps to hold their elections.

He said notifications to announce the elected representatives of the current local bodies were issued by the ECP on December 3, 2015, December 26, 2015, and January 1, 2016, and according to them, the local bodies have completed their tenure and the elected representatives were now illegally holding their offices. He alleged that the government was using delaying tactics for holding the local bodies elections to usurp Rs.78 billion funds of Karachi and is not writing a letter to the ECP in this regard. The high court was requested to direct the ECP to hold the LB elections as per its mandate under the Constitution.