KARACHI: EC in no hurry to hold local govt by-polls
By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque
KARACHI, Dec 3: The by-elections for a number of vacant seats in the Karachi city district government have been delayed because of a clause inserted through an amendment in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO), which allows the election commission to put back the by-polls for 18 months, Dawn has learnt.
Although a top official of the Sindh election commission said that the by-elections for these vacant local government seats would be held after the general elections, he did not give an exact timeframe for the by-polls.
According to the relevant section of the SLGO-2001, a union nazim or town nazim vacancy shall be filled through a by-election within 120 days or four months. However, some time ago, Section 156 (3-A) was inserted in the ordinance through an amendment, which states that “in a year in which general elections are to be held, the by-election may be held within 18 months.”
Over a dozen posts, including two important town nazim posts and five union nazim seats, are currently lying vacant in the Karachi city district government. However, it is not possible to hold by-elections for these seats until the next general elections, scheduled for Jan 8 next year, are held.
In August this year, North Karachi Town Nazim Hanif Soorti and Shah Faisal Town Nazim Mohammed Imran resigned from their posts after being instructed to do so by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-backed Haq Parast panel. The 120-day limit for holding the by-elections did not apply, however, because of the schedule of the general elections.
Provincial Election Commissioner Qamaruzzaman Chaudhary confirmed with Dawn that the by-elections for all the vacant local government seats would be held after the Jan 8 general elections.
However, he added that the election commission had conducted by-polls for vacant naib nazim seats. “The by-election for the naib nazim is an in-house exercise which the law requires to be conducted within 10 days,” he explained. The naib nazims of Gulberg and North Karachi towns, Sohail Zaidi and Shakilur Rehman, resigned in August and September respectively this year. Following their resignations, by-polls were held to fill the vacant seats.
Masood Mahmood, a leader of the Haq Parast panel, told Dawn that the announcement of the schedule of next general elections had caused a delay in the holding of local body by-polls in the city. “The majority of these seats in the Karachi city district government fell vacant when the Haq Parast panel asked its members to resign after receiving public complaints against them,” he said.
Mr Mahmood, who is also the senior presiding officer in the City Council, added that the Haq Parast panel was ready to contest the by-elections and expressed his confidence in “easily winning the seats” whenever the by-polls were held.
Three Gulberg town union nazims resigned from their pots in August but by-elections could not be held despite the passage of about four months. Meanwhile, another seat fell vacant when the union council nazim of Site town resigned to file nomination papers for contesting the upcoming general elections. In addition, another union council nazim seat is vacant in Baldia town due to litigation.
On June 4 this year, the election commission conducted by-polls in two union councils of Jamshed Town. Later, on June 18, the provincial election commission held by-polls for electing the nazims of Jamshed and Gulberg towns.
