KARACHI, Nov 19: Sindh’s Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro said on Tuesday the provincial government wanted to hold local government elections on Jan 18 but this was not ‘administratively possible’.

“We are eager to hold the LG elections on Jan 18 as being asked by the Election Commission but the fact is that such a gigantic exercise is administratively not possible in such a short span,” Mr Khuhro said while speaking to journalists at the Karachi Press Club.

“On behalf of our government my opinion is that the next LG elections should be properly held in March. A time period of 90 days or more like it was given for the general elections should be considered for local bodies’ elections too, to hold them in a befitting manner.”

He said his government could send a request to the Supreme Court for the desired time slot if the Election Commission did not come on the same page.

Mr Khuhro went on to demand holding of the elections across the country on the same day as, according to him, differing schedules in the provinces could affect the results.

New district

Answering a question about proposal for a seventh district in Karachi, Mr Khuhro said the city had seen 18 towns in the past, so no one should object if it was divided into seven districts.

He did not elaborate whether the PPP stronghold Lyari was going to be named as the seventh district but claimed that the division would be based on administrative and not political grounds.

Musharraf trial

He demanded that former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf be tried in a treason case for ousting a democratically elected government in 1999, instead of imposing the November 2007 emergency.

“Try everyone, every quisling who collaborated with him in perpetuating his unconstitutional regime.”