ISLAMABAD, Aug 27: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Saturday announced that the nationwide turnout in the second phase of the local polls was 48.75 per cent. Commission Secretary Kanwar Dilshad said contest in the second phase was held in 2,974 union councils of 54 districts from all the four provinces and on the basis of the results received from all the returning officers (RO), overall turnout was 48.75 per cent.

Earlier, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar had said that the unofficial results of the second phase would be announced positively by Aug 27.

Meanwhile, the CEC told Dawn that the commission was withholding the official result of Shaukat Ali and Shahid Khalil, elected nazim and naib nazim in the second phase of the local government elections in UC-234 (Faisalabad), for holding Sanads (certificate from a religious madressahs).

A three-member Supreme Court bench on Friday in Lahore had directed the commission not to notify their results till the final hearing in the matter. The bench will begin hearing from Sept 22 in Islamabad.

In reply to a question, the CEC said the order of the apex court regarding withholding of the results, after disqualifying candidates for holding Sanads, could not be generalized. It would apply only to those who were party in the case unless the court clearly laid down a law in this regard, he explained.

Referring to women participation in the NWFP during the second phase of the elections, the CEC said the turnout of women in 12 districts of the province in the second phase was 21.8 per cent as against 55.4 per cent of men.

The ratio of women participation in the 18 districts of Punjab was 43 per cent when it was 25 per cent in 12 districts each in Sindh and Balochistan.