KARACHI, Dec 22: A Pakistan Peoples Party leader has demanded immediate announcement of a date to hold by-election in NA-250, Karachi. He said postponement of the by-election at the provincial government’s request was illegal and the election commission had been wrong in acceding to their request.

Talking to newsmen, Sindh PPP Secretary General Nafees Siddiqui, who is also the party’s candidate in the by-election, said the delay had created doubts about the the election commission’s impartiality. He said the election commission had postponed the by polls at the Sindh chief minister’s request because the provincial government had said there was a law and order problem whereas there was no such situation.

He said the second reason given by the provincial government was that the candidates and voters of this constituency were proceeding on Hajj was also not a valid reason. He said under the law the election can only be postponed if there was a law and order situation. He alleged this only gave credence to the opposition’s suspicions that the government was afraid of losing this seat and wanted more time for manipulation.

The PPP leader said it was unjust with the people of the constituency to deprive them of the right to elect their representative.

The by-election on NA-250 seat was scheduled to held last month but the election commission postponed polling after completing the process of accepting nomination papers and their scrutiny. The seat fell vacant due to the death of Abdul Sattar Afghani who was elected on MMA ticket in the 2002 elections. The PPP and MQM fielded their candidates while the MMA was not in the contest.