HYDERABAD, Sept 29: The Hyderabad chapter of the Pakistan Peoples Party has urged the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan to extend deadline for carrying out delimitations and holding local bodies’ election for at least six months.

Zahid Hussain Bhurgari, president of the PPP Hyderabad chapter, said at a press conference after chairing a party meeting here on Sunday, that the time given by the court to accomplish the task was too short.

He said the district administration was busy in other issues including polio eradication campaign and it would certainly affect transparency in the delimitation process since the officials responsible to carry it out were overworked.

He said the party had reservations over the process. Therefore, it was urging the apex court and the election commission to extend the deadline for at least six months to enable the officials to complete the delimitation process in an effective and transparent manner, he said.

He said that under the present delimitation plan, a ward was to contain a population of 20,000 although it used to have 10,000 souls. There were complaints that in villages a ward was to include six to seven households although it should have 200 households, he said.

He said that Nadra’s voter lists were full of errors which needed to be rectified before elections. DRO’s performance was questionable in May 11 general elections, he said, adding the government, therefore, should ensure transparency in LB elections.

He said that in past polling stations were set up in private schools but the practice should be avoided now and the polling stations should be established only in government schools.

Mr Bhurgari said the party had filed objections over delimitation of union councils’ constituencies in the Cantonment Board Hyderabad and formed committees to oversee the delimitation process and make preparations for elections.

He said in answer to a question that PPP was not demanding restoration of old Hyderabad district because people in new districts were not making such demand and they were comfortable in the new districts, which used to be part of old Hyderabad.

Church attack condemned

Activists of the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) staged a demonstration on Sunday outside the local press club in protest against twin bombings in a church of Peshawar a week ago.

Led by Mr Iqbal of the CPP, they raised slogans in support of religious minorities.

The protesters said that some parties were sympathetic towards terrorists and condemned the attack on the Kohati gate church. The protesters were carrying placards and raising slogans against terrorism.

Mr Iqbal said people belonging to a particular sect were targeting people of other sects and such incidents were destabilising the country.

He called for promoting harmony among sects and religious minorities.