ISLAMABAD: Over three weeks after completion of the three-phase local government elections in Punjab and Sindh, some information on the gigantic electoral exercise is missing from the official website of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The delay in placement of data about the elections for the lowest tier of governance makes party position an enigma. Even the notification of third phase of LG polls in Sindh held on Dec 5 has not been issued, raising questions.

Results of the three phases of LG elections in Punjab had been notified on Dec 22 altogether but none of them is available on ECP’s website. Out of three phases of LG elections in Sindh, notifications of two phases were issued on two separate dates and only one pertaining to the first phase is available on ECP’s website.

Both the local government laws of Punjab and Sindh are silent on the timeframe for announcement of official results by returning officers concerned, but normally it is done within three to seven days. Placement of these notifications many believe should take couple of days as this information would be useless after elected representatives take oath.

There are many union councils in Punjab and Sindh where elections could not take place due to various reasons, including stay orders by courts, but these details too cannot be seen on ECP’s portal.

An official of the ECP when contacted confirmed that it was not possible for a common citizen to check if some of his relative or friend in the electoral arena had won or otherwise.

He said the reason for this delay was that the relative section of the commission had not sought formal approval from the commission for the placement of the same on its website.

He said the Information Technology has to depend on content provided to it by the relative section along with approval for its placement on the website.

Same is the position in case of federal capital where those elected in the first phase have already taken oath and schedule for the second phase has been announced. Though a notification issued by the ECP has been put on the website, there is no mention of the parties the winning candidates belong to.

The ECP is hearing on daily basis cases pertaining to local government elections and bye-elections in various parts of the country, but none of the decisions rendered in these cases can be electronically accessed. The cause list of the ECP is also not available on the website.

Meanwhile, the ECP is to hear on Wednesday a petition filed by PTI’s Aleem Khan seeking to get details of vote transfer from NA-122 constituency prior to the bye-elections held there on Oct 11. In his petition filed under Article 19 A of the Constitution and Section 103 AA of the Representation of Peoples’ Act, he also seeks to get the bye-election null and void if an irregularity is proved.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2015