WITH legal hurdles now hopefully out of the way, Sindh can look forward to functioning elected local governments. Though the third and final phase of the much-delayed LG polls was wrapped up last December in the province, legal wrangling has prevented the indirect election of mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen etc from taking place. In January, the PPP-led Sindh government changed the mode of balloting so that the mayoral elections would be held through a show of hands instead of a secret ballot. However, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the mayoral elections should be held by a secret ballot, and within 60 days. The case was brought to the apex court by the Sindh government when it challenged a Sindh High Court order also calling for a secret ballot. A legal adviser to the Sindh government has said the administration may file a review petition.

For over five years, Sindh, along with other provinces, was without an elected third tier of government, mainly because the parties running the provincial set-ups tried their best to delay LG polls. This was due mainly to the fear of alternative power structures emerging. Had it not been for the judiciary’s pressure, LG polls might have been delayed indefinitely. Despite the elections, Sindh’s rulers have tried to perpetuate this postponement. The reason for the PPP’s reluctance to conclude the process is apparently that the party does not want the MQM to further consolidate itself in Sindh’s urban areas; the Muttahida had dominated the local polls in Karachi and Hyderabad. Yet delaying the formation of elected local bodies out of fear that political rivals will benefit is both unconstitutional and undemocratic. Sindh’s major cities, as well as towns in the province’s interior, have all suffered due to the absence of elected and responsive local bodies. For example, the civic infrastructure is in a shambles, while facilities are lacking. While local governments should not function as totally independent actors and there must be checks and balances in place, micromanagement of civic affairs by provincial officials and bureaucrats is unacceptable; directly elected representatives of the people should be free to run civic affairs. Instead of resorting to more litigation — as some have hinted — and further delaying the process, the Sindh government must respect the orders of the Supreme Court and the choices of the people and not create any more hurdles in the mayoral elections.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2016