KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar on Sunday said Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) wish to delay the local body elections out of fear of an imminent defeat.

In a press conference at party headquarters, the MQM leader termed the rival political parties 'political wings' of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He alleged that the recent killings of law enforcement agency personnel are linked to the PTI and JI's call for a delay in local body polls.

"We too were shaken by the killing of Rangers personnel in Ittehad Town and telephoned the Director General Rangers to offer our condolences," said the MQM leader.

His statement was a response to local media reports that the PTI and JI want to delay the polls scheduled for December 5, after the killings of Rangers personnel in Ittehad Town.

Related: Killing of four Rangers personnel heightens fears

Political parties are fervently campaigning in a bid to gain seats in the ongoing local body polls. The schedule for the first phase of local body polls in Sindh and Punjab was issued on August 26 and the polling was conducted on October 31.

Polls were held in Sukkur, Ghotki and Khairpur districts in Sukkur division and Larkana, Qamber Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmore in Larkana division of Sindh province.

In the second phase held on November 19, the polls in Punjab were held in Khanewal in Multan division; Sahiwal in Sahiwal division; Faisalabad and Chiniot in Faisalabad division; Khushab and Mianwali in Sargodha division; Sheikhupura in Lahore division; Gujranwala, Hafizabad and M.B. Din in Gujranwala division and Chakwal and Jhelum in Rawalpindi division.

In Sindh, polling was held in Shaheed Benazirabad and Naushero Feroze in Shaheed Benazirabad division; Dadu, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal and Badin in Hyderabad division; and Umerkot, Tharparkar, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas in Mirpurkhas division.

In the third phase, the districts in Punjab selected for the elections are: Pakpattan in Sahiwal division; Layyah, Rajanpur, D.G. Khan and Muzzafargarh in D.G. Khan division; Jhang in Faisalabad division; Bhakkar in Sargodha division; Lahore in Lahore division; Sialkot and Narowal in Gujranwala division; Rahimyar Khan in Bahawalpur division; and Multan in Multan division.

For Sindh the districts in the third phase are: Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Korangi and Malir in Karachi division; and Hyderabad division.

The polling date for the third phase as announced by ECP, is December 5.