ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry issued two, seemingly contradictory, notifications regarding when government employees can cast their votes in the local government (LG) elections in the capital, to be held on Monday.

The first notification said all government department, including the federal ministries in Islamabad, will be closed at 2pm on Monday, November 30, so employees can cast their votes.

After a while, a second notification was issued saying government officials can also cast their votes before 2pm, if they have permission from their heads of department.

Meanwhile, Member of the National Assembly Asad Umer filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asking them to extend the time for polling by two hours.

Advocate Farrukh Dall, who filed the application, told Dawn that the polling time will be from 8am to 5:30pm.

Mr Dall said: “Most of the people in Islamabad are government servants. People will come from work and relax for a while before casting their vote. Government servants will therefore have only two hours to vote.”

Explaining why they had asked the ECP to extend polling time, he said: “In Sindh and Punjab, one voter had to poll two ballot papers, while in Islamabad, every voter has to poll six ballot papers which means the average time one person will take to vote will be six to seven minutes.” He said the extension was necessary for everyone to have a chance to vote.

MNA Asad Umer also filed a separate application with the ECP stating that the appointment of the Minister Capital Administration and Development Division, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, was against the elections’ code of conduct.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2015