ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced a last minute decision to withdraw the schedule for the Punjab local bodies elections on reserved seats, which were to begin on Thursday.

The ECP’s decision was made after orders were passed by the Lahore High Court on August 23 to annul the election schedule and announce a fresh one.

The ECP was considering challenging the order in the Supreme Court, which was not possible since a copy of the judgement was not available.

The high court announced its decision on two separate writ petitions, one of which was filed by the PML-N versus the Punjab government and others.

An ECP official said all political parties had come together for seeking a postponement of the polls with the plea that an ordinance promulgated by the ECP had changed the number of reserved seats and they needed to submit fresh lists.

He explained that the reduction in the number of reserved seats did not require the submission of fresh lists. According to the official, the ECP lawyer had argued during the hearing that the electoral body was holding the elections on orders made by the SC and the remaining part of the exercise was also initiated on the apex court’s orders.

According to the schedule announced on August 8, the elections for the indirect seats in district councils, municipal corporations and metropolitan corporations, the indirect seats of municipal committees and union councils was to be held on September 1, 2 and 3 respectively while the administration of oaths was scheduled for September 10.

ECP officials said arrangements for the polls had been finalised including the appointment of returning officers, district returning officers and other staff, the printing of ballot papers, transportation of bags, stationary, forms and stamps to various polling stations.

The officials said substantial costs will have to be incurred if another candidate is allowed into the race as new ballot papers will have to be printed and other arrangements may also have to be made.

The local government polls across the country have so far cost Rs6.25 billion in addition to billions of rupees spent on the deployment of security staff.

An ECP official said that the Election Commission of India was powerful and that according to a ruling of the Indian Supreme Court, courts do not intervene in the commission’s operations.

“But things are different in Pakistan,” he added.

He pointed out that the ECP was barred by a court order from proceeding against PTI candidate Aleem Khan when the commission had found affidavits of vote transfer without consent in his constituency.

Similarly, a former PTI leader Akbar Sher Babar had filed a petition in the ECP some two years back for scrutiny of the party’s funds. The party had gone to the Islamabad High Court and challenged the ECP’s authority for scrutinising accounts when the ECP had said it could do so according to the law. The case is still pending before the court, forcing the commission to adjourn the hearing repeatedly.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2016