ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced the schedule for local body elections in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

During a meeting of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Raza, it was decided that local government elections in Sindh will take place in March 2016 whereas polling in KP and Punjab is to be arranged to take place in May 2015 and November 2015 respectively.

The ECP will submit a response to the Supreme Court on February 12 regarding specific dates for local government elections.

Last year, the ECP had blamed the delay in local government elections on lack of political will on part of provincial governments.

Know more | LG polls in Sindh, Punjab may be delayed beyond 2015

The ECP had earlier said that the process of delimitation of wards for holding the local government elections would be initiated when the commission received complete data from Punjab and Sindh.

“The ECP is committed to initiating the process of delimitation for local government polls as early as possible after the receipt of complete information relating to notification of demarcation of local areas, determination of number of union councils/wards and authenticated maps from the Punjab and Sindh governments as well as amendments in the respective acts by the two provinces,” the commission had said in a report presented to the SC.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has repeatedly blamed the ECP and the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab for delaying local body elections, which has, in turn, delayed these elections in KP as well.

Balochistan was the first province to complete the electoral exercise. The first phase of the local government elections in Balochistan took place on Dec 7, 2013, followed by two other phases on May 29 and Dec 31, 2014.

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