here is talk of elections. Although the focus has shifted from those that were scheduled to the ones that were unscheduled. The recent political episodes at the national level have triggered a series of reactions; one being the call for an early general election by the recently deposed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Pakistan has had a fractured electoral history. Any hiccup that further delays an electoral activity in a country stained with undemocratic episodes only serves to make a cautious populace more nervous.

As one of our contributors this week notes, this year was supposed to be the year of local government elections. Now it so happens, that may no longer be the case.

With Khyber Pakhtunkhwa having recently concluded the second phase of the local government elections, for now it is the only province that has completed the exercise. Sindh is gearing up for the polls with the first phase of the local government elections set for end of June in four divisions of the province.

But the prospect of local government elections in Balochistan appears to have attracted controversies that are likely to cause a delay in the elections amidst a list of reservations on delimitation, voter lists and certain clauses of the local government law.

The ongoing political uncertainty in the Punjab has raised questions regarding the holding of the local government elections as well. With the Election Commission of Pakistan having recently postponed the elections in 17 districts of the province following an order of the Lahore High Court – with the local government ordinance lapsing in June – there is very little hope that local government elections will be held at all, let alone per schedule.

At the heart of the debate, what must not be lost is the realisation of the importance of these local governments. In a democracy, local governance structures strengthen public service delivery and reinforce the concept of truly empowering the people at the grassroots. In a democracy like Pakistan, it is all the more essential to be mindful of just why this process is integral to the country’s democratic system.

The devolution of power from the Centre to the provinces and eventually to the local government structures and institutions is just one of the many ways to remind those in power that they are there to serve the people, not to accumulate power or influence. In the same vein, one can only hope that political parties understand the importance of the nature of this exercise and make all efforts to come together to prevent further delaying of a process that empowers the people.