FAISALABAD, March 22: The election of the City District Government Faisalabad monitoring committees are still not in sight as the district nazim has failed to issue a fresh schedule even 12 days after his commitment.

The election for 36 committees was put on hold in view of the expected protest by the union council nazims and house members over alleged wrongdoings by election commissioner Mian Amjad Yasin, a convener of the district council.

The schedule was not announced when the house was in session which enraged the union council nazims and members. A day after the house concluded its proceedings, the schedule was published in the media and March 12 was fixed as the polling day.

During filing of the nomination papers, scores of aspirants got wind of rumours that the convener had been trying to get his blue-eyed people elected.

Sources said the convener assured many house members of his all-out support for their election. “Such favouritism coupled with mismanagement in schedule announcement forced the nazims and house members to raise their arms against the convener. They even vowed to move court to thwart the unfair polls,” they said.

The protesters charged the election commissioner with forging the documents to ensure election of the candidates of his choice. Scores of nomination papers filed by the candidates were removed from the final list while the names of those members who did not even file their papers were included, they cried out.

The house members held a meeting a day before the polling and decided that they would boycott the election and set up a protest camp in the district council courtyard.

The news of the protesting members reached City District Nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef who immediately held out an assurance to them that the elections would be free and fair, announcing delay for a couple of days.

A nazim told Dawn on the request of anonymity that no one was ready to pay heed to the protesting members and this indifference had compelled them to take to the street.

The district nazim, however, dispelled the impression that he was under any pressure and claimed that bad weather forced the administration to delay the polls. He said a fresh schedule would be announced very soon.

Convener Mian Amjad denied the charges and said he considered all members equal. He said the polling schedule would be released within days and only those people who had submitted their nomination papers would be eligible for contest.

Answering a question, he claimed some crisis forced them to postpone the election.