KARACHI: The opposition parties on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of conspiring with the ruling parties both in Sindh and Centre that led to postponement of local government elections in Karachi for the third time only to save the ruling alliance from a devastating defeat.

In a strong reaction against the ECP decision to postpone local government elections in Karachi for a third time, the opposition parties asked the ECP chief to step down because he had ‘failed’ to meet his constitutional responsibility.

They also accused him of ‘facilitating’ the ruling parties while using his constitutional position.

JI asks CEC to resign

Speaking to the media at the Sukkur airport after the ECP announcement of delaying the polls, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said that ‘acting’ on directives of the Sindh government, the Election Commission of Pakistan had postponed the local government elections in Karachi because Pakistan Peoples Party’s defeat was inevitable in the elections. He said that the PPP thought in this way it could save its face.

He said that without any solid reason the local government election had been postponed in Karachi. When by-elections for the national assembly could be held, there was no reason for delaying the local government elections in Karachi, he added.

The JI chief demanded that local government election were held immediately on Oct 23.

Also, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman asked Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to tender his resignation if he was unable to exercise his constitutional powers under Article 220 of the Constitution.

“If the chief election commissioner continues to ask institutions, instead of issuing orders to them, it simply means either he is unable to exercise his powers or he is unaware of his constitutional powers. So he needs to quit and tender his resignation.”

PTI blames Sindh govt for postponement

The parliamentary party leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Sindh Assembly, Khurram Sher Zaman, made almost similar demands.

He told a press conference that the CEC was a ‘worker’ of the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement].

He said only last month thousands of policemen were deployed for security during a cricket series between Pakistan and England and expressed surprise over the excuse of the Sindh government which was reluctant to deploy personnel of the law-enforcement agency for the polling exercise.

He accused the ruling party of conspiring against the LG elections in Karachi in the “name of floods and rehabilitation of its victims”.

“The PPP is well aware that it can’t win in Karachi and devastating defeat is its fate,” he said.

Sharjeel says delay due to administrative reasons

The Sindh government, on the other hand, insisted that it was solely an administrative issue which led it to propose postponement of the local government elections.

In a statement, Sindh Minister Information Sharjeel Inam Memon claimed that the provincial government and Pakistan Peoples Party were always ready for local government elections.

“The Sindh government had written a letter to the ECP to hold local government elections in two phases, due to shortage of police personnel who were deputed in rain emergency duty,” he said.

“But the ECP did not accept the proposal. The ECP is a respectable institution. If the Sindh government is assured of 15,000 police personnel, it is ready for local elections on October 23.”

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022