HYDERABAD: Mutta­hida Qaumi Movement activists and supporters joined in protest demonstrations held by the party’s elected local government representatives in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas on Thursday against postponement of mayoral election in Sindh.

In Hyderabad, MQM councillors and chairman and vice chairmen of various UCs, along with party activists and supporters, held a demonstration outside Shahbaz Building that houses the divisional office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) besides other government offices.

Carried banners, placards and party flags, the protesters raised slogans against the postponement of the election and alleged biased attitude of the ECP.

Speaking to them, Abid Ghauri, Syed Tayyab Hussain and Rafique Ajmeri said that the ECP had repeatedly been violating the Constitution and relevant laws to hinder the democratic process of handing over powers to elected representatives. They said a real democracy could not emerge if local bodies were not put in place and empowered.

They appealed to the Supreme Court to take notice of the postponement of the election.

MIRPURKHAS: A similar demonstration was held by elected local government representatives belonging to the MQM outside the provincial election commission’s office in Mirpurkhas.

Mujibul Haq, Farooque Jameel Durrani, Fareed Ahmed Khan, Afaq Ahmed Khan and other party activists spoke to the protesters, who raised slogans against the election commission for deliberately delaying empowerment of local government.

They alleged that under a conspiracy, elected representatives of Sindh’s urban areas were being deprived of a leadership at grass-root level that could address their civic issues.

They also criticised the provincial government for not playing its due role in this regard.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2016