LANDI KOTAL, Oct 25: The government announcement concerning holding of local bodies elections in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) on Oct 27 appears to have evaporated into thin air as the Election Commission has failed to announce schedule for the elections within the stipulated time.
Presiding over a meeting on Sept 8 in Peshawar, the NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah announced that as per government plan to implement reforms in the existing tribal governing system, local bodies election in Fata would be held on Oct 27.
The governor on that occasion directed political agents of all tribal agencies to start preparations for the holding of local bodies elections in their respective areas.
Before Oct 10, officials at the Election Commission, both in Peshawar and Khyber Agency, expressed their reservations regarding the governor’s announcement and said that it was almost impossible to hold local bodies elections in Fata on such a short notice as they were already busy in preparations for the general elections in the country.
Their apprehensions proved right. With only one day to go before the announced date, the EC is yet to announce the polls schedule. But no formal announcement regarding cancellation of the proposed elections is being made either.
The provincial local bodies department and political administration in Khyber agency were convinced that these elections were being postponed till January/February, 2003.
Talking to Dawn, these officials, however, said that they had made all the necessary preparations for the holding of local bodies elections in tribal areas.
These officials said that they were still awaiting a green signal from Islamabad as the EC had even completed the task of printing ballot papers.
Some political circles believe that the recent success of religious-minded candidates from Fata could be one reason why the LB polls were being postponed. Seven out of 12 tribal MNAs were elected with the active support of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.
But the cancellation of these elections on political or any other grounds apart, there is still strong opposition to the holding of LB elections from tribal elders and maliks. These elders in Bajaur, Mohmand, Waziristan, Orakzai and Khyber agencies made their intentions known by saying that they would boycott these polls.